Last minute drama in United Torah Judaism party

With only hours remaining until the deadline for submitting party lists to the Central Elections Committee, an unprecedented political crisis is threatening to shake up United Torah Judaism. MK Meir Porush, representing the Shlomei Emunim faction, and Elyakim Stark, representing the Belz Hasidic community, announced that they will run on the united list under a new party completely separate from Agudat Yisrael. The new party, "Homat Torat Yisrael" ("Wall of the Torah of Israel"), would transform United Torah Judaism from an alliance between two parties into a three-way arrangement of three independent factions. The dramatic move follows longstanding claims by Shlomei Emunim and Belz that they have faced discrimination within United Torah Judaism. The factions allege that the Gur Hasidic movement, known as the "Central Faction," has delayed budgetary transfers to their branches throughout the country. The new arrangement would allow the faction to receive its monthly Knesset funding allocations directly - funds totaling hundreds of thousands of shekels that have until now been controlled by Gur. But the dispute goes beyond finances. The move would give Porush an independent political standing, meaning that any future coalition negotiations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would require separate talks with representatives of his new party. The move has apparently been in the works for nearly a year and was not the result of a last-minute decision. As part of the preparations, an existing "shelf party" was acquired, while its identity was kept strictly confidential until recent days. The party was subsequently renamed "Homat Torat Yisrael." Degel HaTorah, the Lithuanian faction of United Torah Judaism, was informed of the plan in advance and helped maintain the secrecy surrounding the move. However, the attempt to formalize the split has encountered fierce opposition from representatives of the Gur Hasidic movement, who refused to approve the move. The dispute led to the meeting breaking up and participants leaving the hall, leaving the entire United Torah Judaism list in a state of uncertainty and high tension just hours before the registration deadline.