After meeting PM, rebel Otzma Yehudit MK said to accept deputy ministerial post in exchange for Knesset resignation

By Sam Sokol 2 April 2025, 7:14 pm

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Sam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"

Otzma Yehudit MK Almog Cohen attends a meeting of the Knesset Labor and Welfare Committee, January 8, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

After meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, rebel Otzma Yehudit MK Almog Cohen has reportedly accepted an unspecified deputy ministerial position so that he can resign as a lawmaker under the so-called Norwegian Law, Hebrew media reports.

Such a move removes Cohen from the Knesset, allowing the return of former Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot, and preventing the planned resignation of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich — who on Tuesday announced he would reclaim his own Knesset seat — pushing out Otzma Yehudit lawmaker Yitzhak Kroizer.

Smotrich’s tactical move was set to see him swiftly reappointed to the role, with the Knesset scheduled to vote on his resignation and reappointment on Wednesday evening.

When Otzma Yehudit’s Amichai Eliyahu became heritage minister in 2023, Kroizer became an MK under the Norwegian Law, which allows ministers and deputy ministers from large factions to resign from the Knesset and for their seats to be filled by the next member on the party list. Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism ran on a joint slate in the 2022 national election but subsequently split — largely due to personal disagreements between their two far-right chairmen.

When Otzma Yehudit quit the coalition in January over the government’s approval of a ceasefire-hostage release deal, Eliyahu’s resignation from the cabinet forced the ouster of Sukkot, who held a lower spot on the two parties’ joint electoral list than Kroizer.

Following Otzma Yehudit’s return to the coalition, none of its ministers resigned under the Norwegian Law in order to bring back Sukkot, angering Religious Zionism, which accused Otzma Yehudit of violating an agreement between the parties.

Since returning to the coalition, Otzma Yehudit had been pressuring Cohen to accept a deputy ministerial position in order to remove him from the Knesset, something he had initially rejected outright.

In a WhatsApp message to The Times of Israel last week, Cohen dismissed the idea of accepting such a role, stating that “jobs and positions are less interesting to me.”

Responding to reports of Netanyahu’s meeting with Cohen, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid condemned the possible creation of “another unnecessary and fabricated political job that will cost millions at the expense of citizens who pay taxes and serve in the reserves.”

According to Channel 12, Cohen’s appointment as a deputy minister will cost taxpayers an estimated NIS 3.4 million ($918,000).