Yakov Asher

Haredi parties Shas, UTJ set to win 14 combined seats in 2026 Israeli election

Neither party has committed to joining only a Netanyahu-led coalition, and Shas’s spiritual leader has indicated that he would be open to joining a government led by Eisenkot.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
United Torah Judaism party head MK Yaakov Asher alongside members of his party at the party’s election headquarters in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, October 28, 2026
Shas leader MK Arye Deri (L) and United Torah Judaism leader MK Ya’akov Asher.

Shas, UTJ sign surplus vote-sharing deal, pledge cooperation in next Knesset

The two major haredi parties announced a vote-sharing deal to maximize their Knesset seats and pledge a united front on key religious issues after the elections.

|ByKESHET NEEV
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen with United Torah Judaism (UTJ) MK Moshe Gafni during a 40-signatures debate, at the plenum hall of the Knesset, in Jerusalem, November 10, 2025

Gafni’s ouster marks a changing era for Israel’s haredi parties - and for Netanyahu - analysis

By pushing Gafni out of the next Knesset, the party's rabbinic leadership has served notice that Netanyahu will have to win the haredim back rather than simply count them in.

|ByHERB KEINON