(Mara Vigevani/TPS) Israel Prize laureate Adina Bar-Shalom, the oldest daughter of the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, announced that she would form a political party to challenge the existing haredi political leadership during the next election cycle. The new party, to be called Ahi Israeli (My Israeli Brother), will aim to bridge cultural divides in Israeli society and address social issues including mutual respect, religious moderation, wealth inequality and gender equality, especially in the ultra-Orthodox sector.

The move is the latest episode in a history of friction between Bar-Shalom and Shas, the political party that her father founded in the 1980s and which has claimed to carry the mantle of his legacy since the rabbi died in 2013. Since then the party has been beset by public infighting, primarily between former party chairman Eli Yishai and current head Aryeh Deri, and several prominent MKs have left the party. Bar-Shalom has been a frequent critic of Shas and has condemned Deri on multiple occasions.

While the new party appears to define itself mainly by social issues, Bar-Shalom is likely to adopt her father’s lenient position vis–vis territorial compromise: During the Oslo period, the rabbi ruled that parts of the Land of Israel could be traded for peace.