More On the Power Struggle in Agudas Yisroel: Ger Seeks to Oust Sanz From Knesset Slot in Favor of Biala
A fresh internal battle is unfolding within Agudas Yisroel as the party moves to finalize its Knesset slate, with Ger seeking to remove Sanz from the fifth position and award the slot to Biala instead. A separate dispute is simultaneously brewing over a rotation agreement that could determine which faction receives representation if Agudas Yisroel secures only three Knesset seats.
The disputes are emerging as Agudas Yisroel’s National Council convenes to approve the party’s representatives ahead of the upcoming elections. Ger is demanding that Biala receive the fifth position on the Agudas Yisroel slate, a slot that was given to Sanz during the previous Knesset term.
Under Agudas Yisroel’s longstanding internal arrangement, the fifth position belongs to Ger. That allocation has previously allowed Ger to have two representatives serving in the Knesset at the same time. For the most recent Knesset, however, an agreement was reached under which the position was handed to Sanz.
Ger now wants to reverse that arrangement. The demand reportedly comes amid claims that the Sanz representative in the previous Knesset aligned himself with the positions of Shlomei Emunim and Belz. Ger is therefore pushing to give the representation this time to Biala, whose Rebbe also serves on the Moetzes of Agudas Yisroel.
Shlomei Emunim and Belz may oppose Ger’s effort to transfer the position from Sanz to Biala, potentially setting up a showdown among the factions over the final makeup of the slate.
At the same time, another disagreement has emerged over the rotation arrangement between the third and fourth slots on the Agudas Yisroel list. The question would become particularly significant if the party ultimately wins only three seats in the next Knesset.
Shlomei Emunim and Belz are insisting that Ger should be the faction to relinquish its seat as part of the rotation this time around.
Ger is pushing back against that demand, arguing that its Central Faction possesses enough electoral strength on its own to account for an entire Knesset mandate and therefore should not be expected to surrender its representation.
Ger officials are also pointing to a previous concession made in recent years, when Yaakov Tessler entered the Knesset in place of Yaakov Litzman under a rotation arrangement. They argue that Ger has already given up its turn once and should not be required to do so again.
{Matzav.com}
