From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Otzma Yehudit removed Cohen from WhatsApp groups after he defied party line on votes – report
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. 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 has reportedly removed MK Almog Cohen from its internal WhatsApp groups after the lawmaker defied his party’s pledge to oppose the state budget during a committee vote on an important budget-related bill.
A screenshot posted by Makor Rishon political correspondent Amiel Yarhi shows Cohen being removed from several chat groups belonging to the party. The lawmaker does not respond to a request for comment from The Times of Israel.
Cohen’s key abstention on the Economic Efficiency Bill this morning came less than a day after Otzma Yehudit attempted to have him replaced on the committee. After the vote, the party complained that he was “acting contrary to his faction’s position.”
Responding to his party’s criticism, Cohen tweeted that he had been “forced to be the responsible adult in the face of childish acts that undermine the stability of the coalition and the nation.”
“My faction’s boycott and such spin will not bring me to be part of the current bickering that is harming the war effort,” he declared, calling for “immediate negotiations” to discuss the issue of the police budget.
On Monday, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir held Otzma Yehudit’s weekly faction meeting without Cohen after he broke party discipline last week to vote with the coalition on another key budget-related bill.
