Aryeh Deri leaves Shas list and will not sit in the 26th Knesset

Aryeh Deri, the chairman of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, has removed himself from the party's list of Knesset candidates and will not serve as a member of Israel's incoming parliament, the 26th Knesset. Political correspondent Amit Segal reported the move on his Telegram channel on Sunday, crediting journalist Ishai Cohen with first publishing it, and Ynet reported that Deri will not be in the new Knesset.

Deri is not leaving alone. According to Amit Segal, sitting Knesset member Moshe Abutbul and candidate Dror Amos have also withdrawn from the Shas slate. The two people who will take up the freed places are Knesset members Uriel Busso and Yossi Taieb, according to the same report, which was also carried by News.co.il and by N12.

Who withdrew, and from where on the list

Ynet gave further detail on the two other departures. Dror Amos, a lieutenant colonel in the reserves, had been placed sixth on the Shas list. Moshe Abutbul held seventh place and, according to Ynet, had been due to enter the Knesset in Deri's stead had Deri stepped aside on his own. With all three gone, the seats pass further down the slate to Busso and Taieb.

Israel elects its parliament through national party lists rather than local constituencies. Voters choose a party, each party wins seats in proportion to its share of the vote, and those seats are filled by the candidates in the order the party ranked them. When a candidate who would have won a seat withdraws, the next name on the list moves up. That mechanism is why the withdrawal of a party leader and a sitting member can change who enters parliament without any new vote.

A disappointing election for Shas

Shas is an ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, party, a description Haaretz uses in its report. Ynet described Deri as having spoken about stepping down from the party leadership after what it called a heavy defeat at the polls, in which Shas came away with 6 seats. The Jerusalem Post, in a photo caption, dated Election Day to October 27, 2026, and showed Deri casting his ballot.

Deri has led Shas for many years; Haaretz refers to him as the party's longtime leader. His decision not to take his seat therefore removes the party's most recognisable figure from the parliamentary chamber at the start of a new term.

Timing: swearing-in and coalition talks

The withdrawal comes days before the new parliament convenes. Haaretz reported that Deri will not be sworn in on Tuesday, as the Knesset moves into a period of negotiations to build a governing coalition. According to Haaretz, Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, has been given the task of trying to form the next government.

In Israel, after an election the president asks a party leader to attempt to assemble a coalition with a parliamentary majority. Smaller parties such as Shas have often played a role in those negotiations, which is part of why changes at the top of a party draw attention at this stage.

How the reports differ

The outlets describe the move in slightly different terms. Segal, News.co.il, N12 and Ynet say Deri withdrew from the Shas candidate list. The Jerusalem Post framed it the same way and attributed the news to a report. Haaretz's headline says he resigned from the Knesset. Both descriptions lead to the same practical result reported by all outlets: Deri will not serve in the 26th Knesset. Spellings of his name also vary in English, with Haaretz using Arye Dery and The Jerusalem Post using Arye Deri.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports gives a reason for the withdrawals of Abutbul and Amos, or quotes Deri or Shas directly explaining the decision. Ynet notes that it is unclear whether Deri will take on another role, and the reports do not say whether he will remain chairman of Shas.