Deri Reportedly Leaves Shas Knesset List; Buso and Taieb Set to Enter

Aryeh Deri has withdrawn from Shas’s list for the 26th Knesset and will not serve in the incoming parliament, according to a report published Sunday. Moshe Abutbul and Dror Amos have also withdrawn from the list. Uriel Buso and Yossi Taieb are set to enter the Knesset in their place, the report said. The reported withdrawals follow an election in which Shas won six seats. The report identifies Deri as the party’s chairman; the parliamentary list change does not amount to an announcement that he has left the leadership of Shas. The new development concerns who will represent the party in the incoming Knesset. Deri addressed the party’s response to the election in remarks released by Shas on November 5. He described Shas as a movement guided by ideas and a path, acknowledged that it had experienced electoral gains and setbacks, and called for serious reflection on the result. “We will learn lessons, travel the country and emerge stronger,” Deri said. In those November 5 remarks, Deri also set out a plan to make field visits two or three times each week. He said these would include tours and working meetings aimed at strengthening the movement. His stated rebuilding plans preceded Sunday’s report about the parliamentary list withdrawals.