From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
Ex-Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen, Eisenkot’s latest recruit, says leaving Netanyahu in power is ‘dangerous’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam 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"
Addressing reporters in Tel Aviv during a joint press conference with Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot, whose party he just joined, former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen declares that allowing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “failed” ruling coalition “to continue managing the State of Israel is, in my opinion, an irresponsible and even dangerous act for the country.”
“The choice to enter politics is not natural for me. I spent most of my life behind the scenes, and I prefer field operations over speeches,” Cohen declares, adding that he believes, together with Eisenkot, “we have the personal, organizational, and managerial ability to deal with current challenges, make decisions even if they are complex, bring change, and give hope to the people.”
Asked why he had not united with former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid as part of their new Together party, Eisenkot replies that he had “worked for many months to create an infrastructure for victory in the elections” and, in pursuit of this goal, had “met with all the candidates and tried to reach a three-way structure because I thought that was the right solution, and it did not work out.”
As such, “I continued to strengthen Yashar to be as large as possible,” he continues, noting that Bennett and Lapid had only informed him of their plans “five minutes before the press release.”
“My understanding is that we are facing the most critical elections since the establishment of the state, and forces must be joined to win,” Eisenkot says, stating that he will sit in a government with any party that agree with the values of a “Jewish-democratic state, recognition of the values of the Declaration of Independence, and recognition of the duty of military and shared service.”
This, Cohen adds, currently excludes the Knesset’s Arab parties.
Replying to a reporter’s question regarding reports that he is in talks with Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman to unite their two parties, Eisenkot says that the two have “maintained a long relationship” and have met and spoken in recent months, but that he did not want to get into specifics regarding the issue.
Eisenkot adds that his party will be split 50/50 between men and women and that a third of its candidates will be young people. He also calls on all parties currently polling under the electoral threshold, including his old party, Blue and White, to either drop out of the race or join with other factions.
The Times of Israel Community.