MK Gafni has parted ways with his position hours after being dismissed, according to reports. The circumstances of the dismissal and the post he held were not detailed.
MK Moshe Gafni has parted ways with his position hours after his reported dismissal, according to a brief report by The Zioneer citing unnamed political sources. The report did not specify which role he was removed from or the circumstances surrounding the departure.
The development follows a dramatic chain of events on Saturday night, September 5. At 23:29 Jerusalem time, The Zioneer reported that Rabbi Dov Landau had sent personal letters instructing Gafni and fellow MK Uri Maklev to resign from the Knesset to make way for new representatives. Subsequent reports confirmed their official removal from the Degel HaTorah Knesset list, with the rabbi thanking them for their years of service and asking Gafni to continue as chairman of the party's national movement outside the Knesset. MK Yaakov Asher was elected as the party's new chairman. Gafni was reportedly stunned by the news, with associates of the rabbi who opposed the dismissal labeling it "bloodshed." A senior Degel HaTorah source later denied a forced ousting, describing it as a natural slate refresh. Further details on the political maneuver behind the ouster were later revealed.
The ousting followed the failure of the draft exemption bill, a key legislative initiative. The shakeup marks a dramatic shift in the Litvak Haredi faction after nearly four decades, as reported by The Zioneer's Yehuda Aharoni on Saturday.
It remains unclear from the latest report exactly which position Gafni has vacated — whether his Knesset seat, his role as Finance Committee chairman, or another post. The status of MK Uri Maklev in light of this latest development also remains open.
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