Shas crashes to a 35-year low, Deri isolates himself - and the blame war is at its peak

Shas, led by Aryeh Deri, has collapsed to a 35-year low in the 2026 elections, with a sharp decline in the periphery and in Haredi strongholds. Otzma Yehudit, led by Itamar Ben-Gvir, benefited from the erosion in peripheral cities, while United Torah Judaism gained strength in Haredi cities. A source in the movement estimates that 80-90 thousand potential votes did not reach the polls.

Shas, under the leadership of Aryeh Deri, has collapsed to a 35-year low in the 2026 elections, with a sharp decline both in the periphery and in Haredi strongholds. The article analyzes the reasons for the defeat: the defection of traditional voters to Otzma Yehudit of Itamar Ben-Gvir, erosion in Haredi cities in favor of United Torah Judaism, and a campaign that suppressed turnout, according to sources in the movement. In Netivot, Otzma Yehudit surged to 20.84% compared to 28.70% for Shas; in Sderot, it took second place with 16.79% versus 7.2% for Shas. In Haredi strongholds, an average decline of 25.8% was recorded: Beit Shemesh (-25.9%), Beitar Illit (-27%), Modi'in Illit (-21.7%), Elad (-21.2%), and Bnei Brak (-18.1%). In Elad, the gap with United Torah Judaism narrowed to just 354 votes. A source in Shas estimates that 80-90 thousand potential votes did not reach the polls, 60% of them from the traditional public and 40% from the Haredi public. Within the movement, harsh accusations are being leveled against the circle of Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, which, according to a source familiar with the matter, caused the loss of the traditional public due to his positions on the conscription issue. Despite the collapse, sources in the movement assess that Deri will not resign now.