For years, United Torah Judaism has been one of the most stable players in Benjamin Netanyahu's political camp. Regardless of government crises or tensions between the ultra-Orthodox parties and the prime minister, the assumption held firm: the Haredim would remain in the right-wing bloc. But in the approaching elections, United Torah Judaism is arriving with a new card to play for the first time in years.
The clearest signal of this shift comes from Moti Babchik, a senior figure in the Gur Hasidic dynasty and considered one of the most influential behind-the-scenes operators in Haredi politics. In a recent interview, he declared that the ultra-Orthodox are not committed to anyone heading into the elections and intend to decide based on the results. Babchik went further, stating that in his view, the Haredim should be treated as a separate bloc.
This represents far more than another political threat aimed at Netanyahu. For years, Babchik has been regarded as one of the prime minister's closest Haredi allies, making his current message, that the relationship with Likud cannot be taken for granted, particularly significant.
Moshe Gafni has also opened a channel to the other side. In May, a secret meeting between him and Gadi Eisenkot was revealed, occurring around the same time that Lithuanian leader Rabbi Dov Lando declared the dissolution of "the right-wing bloc."
But an important clarification is needed: United Torah Judaism has not become a left-wing party. From its perspective, the story is primarily about Haredi interests—first and foremost the question of military conscription and the status of yeshiva students. In practice, the gap between Haredi demands and Eisenkot's position on the draft issue remains very wide. Therefore, the question is not necessarily "Are the Haredim going with the left?" but rather who will succeed in offering them the best political deal the day after the elections.
This is precisely where the power of the Torah sages enters the picture. In United Torah Judaism, politicians are not the sole decision-makers. Behind Degel HaTorah stands the Council of Torah Sages of the Lithuanian community, headed by Rabbi Dov Lando; behind Agudat Yisrael stands the Hasidic Council of Torah Sages. However, even within the Haredi house there is no uniform picture: disputes between Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael regarding the draft law and conduct toward the government have already become public.
Even the official split of United Torah Judaism into two factions—Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael—approved by the Knesset committee in July, takes on additional meaning against the backdrop of these disputes. Uri Maklev defined the split as "technical," but acknowledged that "different approaches and different positions" exist between the sides.
