In a significant last-minute development ahead of Israel’s national elections, the Sefardic chareidi Achi party, led by Rav Chaim Yosef David Abergel of Netivot, announced Friday that it is withdrawing from the race for the Knesset and throwing its support behind Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. The decision came following intense negotiations involving Netanyahu, senior Likud officials, prominent rabbonim, and municipal leaders, amid concerns that the party could draw thousands of votes away from the right-wing bloc without winning enough support to enter the Knesset.

The withdrawal, announced just four days before Israelis head to the polls on Tuesday, October 27, followed an intensive effort personally directed by Netanyahu to persuade Rav Abergel to abandon his independent political campaign. As part of the agreement, Netanyahu reportedly promised that a representative of the Achi movement would receive a deputy ministerial position in a future government, along with commitments to advance several of the party’s principal demands.

The negotiations were led by Education Minister Yoav Kisch at Netanyahu’s request. A decisive meeting on Friday brought together Rav Abergel, former Sefardic Chief Rabbi Rav Shlomo Moshe Amar, Netivot Mayor Yechiel Zohar, Ofakim Mayor Itzik Danino, and attorney Lior Katsav, who participated on Netanyahu’s behalf. Deputy Minister Almog Cohen was also involved in efforts to secure the withdrawal.

Following the meeting, the Achi movement issued an official statement explaining that its decision had been reached in consultation with Rav Amar and after obtaining assurances regarding its political priorities.

“In light of the gravity of the hour and out of genuine concern for the fate and existence of the State of Israel and Israeli society, the leader of Achi, Rav Chida Abergel, in consultation with the leading Torah authority, former Chief Rabbi Rav Shlomo Moshe Amar, announces that all the goals of the Achi movement have been fully achieved, that the movement has secured very significant accomplishments, and that it will not participate in the upcoming elections,” the statement declared.

The party said that the understandings reached with Netanyahu’s representatives include commitments to address the military draft controversy, support economically disadvantaged families, provide funding for early childhood education and daycare, strengthen assistance to senior citizens, and promote Jewish education and the Jewish character of the state.

One of the most consequential elements of the agreement concerns the military draft law, which has become a central issue in Israel’s election campaign and a source of deep tensions between chareidi parties and other political factions.

According to reports on the negotiations, Netanyahu agreed to advance a framework under which full-time yeshiva students would be permitted to continue learning without military service, while those not engaged in Torah study would be required to enlist.

During a recorded telephone conversation with Rav Abergel and the participants in Friday’s meeting, Netanyahu praised the decision to withdraw and acknowledged the agreements reached between the sides.

“I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this serious and responsible step, which is concerned with the future of our people, the future of our state, and the future of the heritage of Israel,” Netanyahu said.

Addressing Rav Abergel directly, the prime minister added, “I know, Rav, that you truly care about our people and that you want those who study Torah to continue studying, and everyone else to enlist, and that is exactly the agreement between us. Moreover, I will be happy to advance both this and the other matters included in our joint statement.”

Rav Abergel reportedly expressed hope that the commitments would be fulfilled, with Netanyahu responding affirmatively.

Another major component of the agreement involves the appointment of a deputy minister who would represent the movement’s interests.

Under existing Israeli law, deputy ministers must be members of the Knesset. Since Rav Abergel is not currently a Knesset member, fulfilling the reported promise of appointing him or an outside representative would require legislative changes.

According to the understandings announced by Likud, a deputy minister could alternatively be appointed from among Likud’s own Knesset members to advance the shared objectives of the two movements. Another possibility would involve appointing a representative of Achi if the necessary legal changes are enacted.

The reported promise has already generated controversy. Yaya Fink, a candidate from the Democrats party, filed a police complaint Friday alleging that the offer of a government position in exchange for Achi’s withdrawal constituted election bribery. The allegation remains a political and legal claim, and no finding of wrongdoing has been established.

The withdrawal is particularly significant because Achi had sought to establish itself as an alternative political address for Sefardic chareidi voters, operating outside the traditional Shas framework.

Rav Abergel, a son of the late Rav Yoram Abergel of Netivot, established the movement with an emphasis on Torah education, Sefardic religious identity, and a distinctive approach to relations between the chareidi community and the state.

The party had also promoted greater integration of certain chareidi populations into state-supported educational frameworks and military programs, positions that distinguished it from the established chareidi political parties.

Despite its ambitions, Achi had not crossed the electoral threshold in published opinion polls. Political officials on the right feared that votes cast for the party would consequently be excluded from the allocation of Knesset seats, potentially affecting the distribution of mandates between competing blocs.

Education Minister Kisch described the withdrawal as an important achievement for the Netanyahu camp.

“At the request of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Education Minister Yoav Kisch led negotiations with the Achi movement over the past several days regarding its withdrawal from the Knesset race,” Kisch’s office said.

The statement confirmed that the agreement had been finalized at Friday’s meeting and that the movement’s principal demands would be advanced by Likud.

“This is an important move that prevented the loss of tens of thousands of votes from the right-wing bloc, which would have assisted in the formation of a left-wing government headed by Eisenkot, Yair Golan, and Abbas,” the minister’s office declared.

Likud also issued a statement welcoming the decision and urging other smaller right-wing parties that are unlikely to pass the electoral threshold to follow Achi’s example.

The party said it had agreed that a deputy minister in the Prime Minister’s Office would be appointed to promote the principles shared by Likud and Achi, either from among Likud Knesset members or from Achi in accordance with applicable law.

Likud called on other parties facing similar electoral difficulties to withdraw immediately, arguing that votes for lists failing to cross the threshold could affect the balance of power following the election.

Friday’s development comes amid a broader effort by Netanyahu to consolidate support across the religious and right-wing electorate before Election Day.

The prime minister has been working to prevent smaller parties from dividing the vote, particularly in a closely contested election in which the ability of either political bloc to assemble a governing coalition could depend on a relatively small number of Knesset seats.

The Achi withdrawal removes one such party from the contest and gives Likud an additional source of support among voters who had previously considered backing the independent Sefardic movement.

The agreement does not, however, guarantee that all Achi supporters will ultimately vote for Likud. While the movement has transferred its political backing to Netanyahu’s party, individual voters remain free to choose other lists, including the established chareidi parties.

The negotiations have also attracted attention because Rav Abergel was arrested in August 2025 amid an investigation into allegations of sexual offenses involving women. He has denied the allegations. The investigation and the allegations surrounding it are separate from the political agreement announced Friday.

For Netanyahu, the immediate significance of the withdrawal is the removal of a potential source of lost votes from the right-wing camp.