Will the UTJ party split?
Currently the splintered party does not have enough electoral power to split but certainly enough members to bicker and argue. The present dispute concerns the placements of MKs for the November elections, with both Agudath Yisrael and Degel Hatorah claiming the top spot, which influences the rest of the electoral list.
With the departure of Yaakov Litzman, Agudath Yisrael appointed Yitzchak Goldknopf in his place and assumes that according to previous agreements he will be in the top spot, since in the previous election Degel leader Moshe Gafni held the top position.
Agudah officials said after a meeting between faction heads that “an agreement is an agreement and we expect Degel Hatorah to respect it as we did in the previous elections.”
However Degel Hatorah is claiming that since the party was in opposition and only a year has passed since the previous elections, Moshe Gafni should continue to lead the party in the coming elections. Moreover the Degel Hatorah leaders are angry that Goldknopf, an unpopular person due to his employment tactics as head of the Beis Yaakov kindergartens, has been placed on the list and fear that voters will leave the party en masse if he heads the list.
Degel is also at odds with Belz which is now receiving funds from the Ministry of Education but not under the auspices of Chinuch Atzmai.
A final decision on whether Degel will run alone in the elections will be taken by Rabbi Gershon Edelstein, but with the current electoral polls it is unlikely that the two warring factions will be able to go alone.
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