MKs Maklev, Gafni, Litzman
MKs Maklev, Gafni, LitzmanFlash 90

The haredi Agudath Yisrael faction announced that it will change a statute in its platform permitting only men from contending for political office.

The decision comes after the High Court of Justice ordered the haredi factions to change the offending statue by September 2.

The faction clarified that the decision to omit the word "male" from its platform would not change the reality on the ground.

"Since the position of the Council of Torah Sages has not changed and every candidate for membership in the party is required to commit itself to fulfill the decisions of the Council of Torah Sages, changing the articles of association will not lead to any change in the actual situation with regard to accepting the party," said Agudath Yisrael.

The original platform said that potential candidates had to be "a Jewish male aged 18 and over who is a Torah observant and observant of the word of God and identifies with Agudath Israel and its goals ... submits itself to the Council of Torah Sages of Agudath Israel and accepts its authority."

However, the Supreme Court ruled in August that such language excluding women was discriminatory and gave the parties until September 2 to change it.

The UTJ party is a joint list of the hasidic Agudat Yisrael faction and the non-hasidic Degel Hatorah faction. Degel Hatorah was founded in 1988 at the behest of Rabbi Elazar Shach, who had pushed for the establishment of a party dedicated to the needs of the non-hasidic haredi community.