There have been reports that Yahadut Hatorah has decided to halt coalition negotiations with Likud representatives due to the Chilul Shabbos expected to surround the Eurovision Song Contest.

In response to these reports, Kikar Shabbos News reports that a MK of the chareidi party insists the reason talks have halted is because of “an internal machlokes in the party, in the Agudas Yisrael faction of Yahadut Hatorah.”

The report adds him saying, “We succeeded in the election, big time – eight seats, and one must remember that the bigger the success the bigger the internal machlokes. Each one is against the other.”

In his words, “First, there is the main machlokes between Agudas Yisrael and Degel Hatorah. Litzman doesn’t want Degel to receive a deputy ministerial post with authority like him in addition [to receiving the] Knesset Finance Committee. Nevertheless, there is agreement on 50:50 but in practice, the internal struggle only intensified.”

“In addition,’ explains the senior source in the party, “There is also internal disagreement within the factions. Agudah is arguing over who will head a senior [Knesset] committee.

MK Yisrael Eichler, the veteran, asks for the post of the senior committee head while the new MK, Yaakov Tessler, claims that he is new but is the representative of the larger chassidic court, Vishnitz, and that the senior position should therefore be given to him without consideration for regarding the number of years served in Knesset.

The source adds, “Don’t think there is not machlokes within Degel. MK Uri Maklev’s people are working hard so that he will receive a senior position and not Yaakov Asher. When Asher was appointed temporary chairman of the faction, Moshe Gafne’s people were quick to release a message that he is t he chairman, without making reference to the fact there is a temporary one. This was an attempt to compromise his standing and to paint a picture as if MK Maklev is the senior of the two.”

The source concludes that regarding Yahadut Hatorah: “Everyone was shocked to realize the explosion in talks, but it was clear the matter surrounding the distribution of portfolios within the party. Litzman wants us to work it out on our own and afterwards agreement can be reached with Likud.”

It is reported that persons close to Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman deny the accuracy of the report.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)