Haredi politician Moti Babchik reportedly met last week with a group of hard-line rabbis to discuss establishing a new haredi political party that would compete with Shas and United Torah Judaism in the upcoming elections. The meeting and the initiative were reported by Channel 13.
According to the report, the emerging party is currently operating under the name "Black Ink" and would place opposition to the drafting of yeshiva students into the Israel Defense Forces at the center of its platform.
The party would also seek to restore the model which allows yeshiva students to defer military service in order to pursue full-time Torah study, without imposing sanctions on those who do not enlist.
The initiative reportedly involves rabbis and yeshiva heads from across the mainstream haredi community. According to the report, those behind the move want rabbinic leadership, rather than established political figures, to guide the party.
Candidates on the proposed list are therefore expected to be rabbis rather than political activists or veteran politicians.
The organizers reportedly conducted extensive polling that indicates the new party could attract tens of thousands of voters, including younger haredim and voters who have previously supported other Haredi parties.
If the initiative moves forward, it could significantly alter the political balance within Israel's Haredi community and present a new electoral challenge to both Shas and United Torah Judaism in the upcoming elections.