Smotrich briefly resigns as minister in political maneuver to push rival party member out of Knesset

In a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announces his resignation as a cabinet minister and his resumption of his seat as a member of Knesset for his far right Religious Zionism party, before being reappointed to his ministerial roles.

By reclaiming his status as an MK, Smotrich would push Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer out of parliament. When Amichai Eliyahu became heritage minister in 2023, Kroizer became an MK under the so-called Norwegian Law, which allows ministers and deputy ministers from large factions to resign from the Knesset, with their seats filled by members of their parties.

In a statement, Religious Zionism says that the move comes in response to Otzma Yehudit chief and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s “violation of the agreements” between him, Smotrich, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party.

When Otzma Yehudit quit the coalition in January, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu’s resignation from the cabinet forced the resignation of then-Religious Zionism MK Zvi Sukkot, who held a lower spot on the two parties’ joint electoral list in the 2022 legislative election, rather than Kroizer.

Speaking with The Times of Israel earlier this month, an Otzma Yehudit source said that following the party’s return to the government, neither Eliyahu nor Yitzhak Wasserlauf, who is the Negev, Galilee, and National Resilience Minister, would be able to resign from the Knesset under the Norwegian Law. Eliyahu had already resigned once and is barred from doing so again, and Wasserlauf represents a one-man faction within the party that would no longer have Knesset representation were he to do so.

This left only Ben Gvir. As such, the party was pressuring rebel MK Almog Cohen to accept a deputy ministerial position in order to get him out of the Knesset, something he rejected outright. Subsequently, the Kan public broadcaster reported that the coalition was considering adding Otzma Yehudit MK Zvika Fogel to the cabinet.

However, thus far, no steps have been taken to bring Sukkot back into the Knesset, prompting a Religious Zionism source to call Otzma Yehudit’s conduct “incomprehensible.”

“It is a shame that they are not fulfilling their commitment to return MK Sukkot to the Knesset, even though, at Otzma Yehudit’s request, the coalition left MK Kroizer in the Knesset at the time of their party’s resignation,” the source states.

“Sukkot and Kroizer are excellent national parliamentarians, Ben-Gvir’s refusal to fulfill his commitment and the removal of these two players from the coalition is unnecessary and unworthy.”

In a tweet, Sukkot calls on Otzma Yehudit to allow him back into the legislature. “There is no reason in the world that during a time of war and cuts, they would appoint a new minister to the government just to bring me back to the Knesset,” Sukkot writes.

“I expect my dear friends in Otzma Yehudit to uphold their agreements and commitments and find someone who will resign through the Norwegian Law so that we can continue working together.”