A deepening internal crisis within the Chassidishe Agudas Yisroel faction of the Yahadut Hatorah party is threatening to reshape the party ahead of the upcoming Knesset election, with senior figures now openly raising the possibility of running together with Degel HaTorah without Ger — or potentially forming a separate electoral bloc.

The turmoil erupted over a Ger demand to remove former MK Moshe Shimon Roth, the representative of Sanz, from the fifth position on the Agudas Yisroel slate.

A senior Agudas Yisroel official told Matzav.com Monday evening that amid the escalating confrontation with Ger, the possibility of joining Degel HaTorah without Ger is no longer being ruled out. Another possibility being considered is for the other factions to run as a separate bloc.

“Ger does not represent us,” the senior official said.

The comments came after a meeting of the Agudas Yisroel Moetzes broke down Monday evening over Ger’s demand that Roth not be approved for the fifth slot on the party’s electoral list.

Roth, who represents Sanz, was himself present at the meeting and was reportedly stunned to discover during the discussion that Ger was seeking to have him removed from the position.

At the heart of the confrontation is Ger’s demand that whoever occupies the fifth slot be committed to voting in accordance with the decisions of the Central Faction, which represents Ger within Agudas Yisroel.

Sanz has refused to make such a commitment. During the previous Knesset, Roth voted on some issues in accordance with instructions from the Sanzer Rebbe, rather than automatically following the position of Ger’s Central Faction.

The dispute is now having repercussions beyond the fight over the fifth slot.

Shlomei Emunim and Machzikei HaDas have informed Degel HaTorah’s negotiating teams that, for the time being, the signing of the agreement for a joint Degel HaTorah-Agudas Yisroel run should be delayed because of what transpired at the Moetzes meeting.

Figures in both Shlomei Emunim and Belz have also expressed support for Meir Porush’s position that the fifth spot should remain with Sanz rather than be transferred to Ger.

The upheaval comes as Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisroel have been working to finalize a new agreement governing their joint electoral framework.

Under the emerging agreement, if the Knesset is dissolved during the first year and a half of its term, the agreement would remain in effect for the subsequent Knesset election as well.

The agreement is also expected to establish a unified position on the draft issue, with the parties supporting legislation providing exemptions for bnei yeshivos without sanctions. The faction would refuse to support other legislation until the status of full-time Torah learners is formally resolved, and its representatives would not accept government positions before the law is enacted.

The latest confrontation, however, has now cast uncertainty over whether all of Agudas Yisroel’s constituent factions will remain together for the election.

What began as a dispute over Sanz’s fifth-place position has thus escalated into a potentially far-reaching battle over Ger’s role and influence within Agudas Yisroel — and could ultimately affect the structure of the broader chareidi slate for the 26th Knesset.

{Matzav.com}