Top Haredi Rabbi Tells Degel HaTorah Lawmakers: Push to Dissolve the Knesset Now

A jolt in Israeli politics: The leader of the Lithuanian Haredi community, Rabbi Dov Lando, instructed Degel HaTorah's Knesset members today (Tuesday) to move quickly to dissolve the Knesset. The guidance followed a meeting in which the party's lawmakers presented the rabbi with the current political picture, alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's clarification that, at this stage, he will struggle to advance the draft law.

A statement issued on Rabbi Lando's behalf said that, from now on, political conduct will be guided solely by the interests of the Haredi public: "We will do from here on only what is good for the Haredi community and the yeshiva world."

In a letter Rabbi Lando sent to Degel HaTorah's Knesset members, he made clear that, from his perspective, there is a deep crisis of trust with the Prime Minister: "To the honorable Haredi Knesset members of Degel HaTorah shlita. You have fulfilled your mission faithfully, above and beyond. And we have no trust in the Prime Minister; we no longer feel like his partners. We are not obligated to him. And we will do from here on only what we think is good for Haredi Jewry, and in our opinion there should be elections as soon as possible. All kinds of talk about a bloc no longer exist. In pain and anxiety, Dov Lando".

Amid the reports and political tension, Degel HaTorah sought to clarify that, contrary to various publications, the party and Shas are in full agreement and working together on how to proceed regarding the status of yeshiva students.

The move comes as the crisis between the Haredi parties and Netanyahu deepens due to the failure to advance the draft law - an issue at the heart of the political dispute. Meanwhile, the Yesh Atid party announced it will submit a proposal to dissolve the Knesset, which is expected to come up for discussion as soon as next week.