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Former Shas leader Eli Yishai has left the party after failing to resolve differences with Shas head Aryeh Deri and is expected to formally announce that he will lead a new ultra-Orthodox party.

Yishai headed Shas for 14 years after Deri was convicted of bribery, imprisoned and banned from public office for a number of years. During that time, Shas was often a crucial kingmaker in Israeli coalition building. On Deri’s return, he and Yishai shared the leadership according to the wishes of Shas’s spiritual mentor Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. However, the two have been at odds since Yosef’s death last year. Deri and Yishai were supposed to meet over the weekend, but the talks were cancelled with no chance of reconciliation.

Nine of the 11 Shas MKs have pledged support for Deri via a public statement. Meanwhile, Yishai is set to announce a new party, likely to be called “Maran,” the title used to honour Rabbi Yosef. However, some reports say that Yishai could be joined by Housing Minister Uri Ariel, who heads the Tekuma faction of Jewish Home, headed by Economy Minister Naftali Bennett. Ariel and Bennett met yesterday, but remain in disagreement over the number of candidates Ariel’s faction will receive.

Meanwhile, over the weekend Yisrael Beitenu leader, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that he would not “rule out” joining a coalition headed by either current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or Labour head Isaac Herzog, who announced last week that his party would form a joint list with Tzipi Livni’s Hatnuah Party. In response, a statement from Netanyahu’s Likud Party warned that “voting for Lieberman could … lead to a left-wing government.”

Yesterday, the Labour Party Conference formally and overwhelmingly approved the electoral pact with Livni. Speaking at the event, Herzog said, “I’m telling you that in 94 days we are going to lead to a dramatic change in Israel.”