A political firestorm is brewing within United Torah Judaism, with serious implications for the faction’s internal balance and particularly for Degel HaTorah. Minister Meir Porush of Agudas Yisroel is threatening to resign from the government if MK Yisrael Eichler is not appointed housing minister in the wake of Minister Yitzchak Goldknopf’s departure.
Porush is demanding that the Housing Ministry be handed over to Eichler, the representative of the Belzer chassidus, and has issued an ultimatum to Prime Minister Netanyahu. Should Porush follow through on his threat, MK Yaakov Bruchi—Degel HaTorah’s representative who only returned to the Knesset this morning under the Norwegian Law—would be forced out once again.
The fallout for Degel HaTorah could be severe: it would lose another parliamentary seat, and Deputy Minister Uri Maklev, a key member of the party’s Litvishe contingent in the government, might also resign. That, in turn, could force MK Moshe Shimon Roth out of the Knesset.
The crisis is also escalating internal tensions within Agudas Yisroel. Eichler, backed by Porush, is seeking control of the Housing Ministry, but Motty Babchik—representing the Gerer chassidus and a close adviser to Netanyahu—is working hard behind the scenes to block the appointment.
Responding to the controversy in a radio interview Monday evening, MK Moshe Shimon Roth of Agudas Yisroel said regarding the Eichler appointment saga: “Let them ask the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah. The current leadership under Goldknopf has done good work and should remain in place for the benefit of the community.”
A source in the Prime Minister’s Office said that Babchik delivered a clear warning to Netanyahu: “If the ministry goes to Eichler, it will be a divorce between Ger and Likud.”
Meanwhile, insiders within UTJ are dismissing Porush’s motives, recalling that he previously told Degel HaTorah MKs that his support for Eichler’s appointment was merely for the sake of unity and in order to facilitate Bruchi’s return to the Knesset. Now, many believe that his true objective was to secure the ministerial position for Eichler, not to help Bruchi.
A Degel HaTorah official, reacting to the proposal, noted that according to procedure, a Norwegian Law minister who resigns and wishes to return to the Knesset must face a Knesset vote. If Porush acts against Bruchi’s interests, Degel HaTorah would no longer feel bound by any commitments to him.
In recent days, Degel HaTorah had made efforts to reinstate MK Bruchi via the Norwegian Law—a plan that succeeded this morning following Deputy Minister Tzvi Tesler’s resignation. But now, with Porush threatening to make good on his ultimatum, the entire strategy may collapse.

{Matzav.com Israel}