In the summer of 2011, ultra-Orthodox politician Aryeh Deri stirred up a media storm when he announced his plans to return to politics with a new party.

His home party, Shas, was still considered a stable and important part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's second government. At the time, the party was controlled by its spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, and his protege and confidant Eli Yishai. There was no question that Yishai was on solid ground. But Deri worked overtime in an effort to reconcile with Yosef. His goal was to return to the party's leadership, which he headed until 1999. Back then, he was forced to leave following his conviction for corruption, including charges of bribery and fraud.

Attempting to apply pressure on the aging rabbi, Deri threatened to form a new party. He began with secret briefings to the press, but soon followed these up with public statements. "I am back, and I want to use my political strength for the sake of unity and public responsibility. … This will not be a sectoral party like Shas," said Deri. It was the same Deri who was a bold and powerful rising political star in the 1980s, respected for maintaining excellent relationships with secular politicians.

There was already plenty of buzz around Deri, but as the 2013 election approached, he intensified his threats to create a rival party. He spoke often about a modern social party to unite the nation. It would include religious, secular and Arab members, as well as representatives of the military. He even hinted that he would be happy to include a woman in his list. Journalists bought it, particularly secular journalists, because Deri was thought to hold moderate diplomatic views. He was perceived as being relatively liberal among the ultra-Orthodox political leadership.