While the discussion surrounding the Likud primaries focused on reserved slots, hit lists, ballots with recommended names and speculation about Amir Ohana, Tali Gottlieb, Yariv Levin and Shlomo Karhi, Minister Eli Cohen preferred to run a low-profile campaign. It paid off. Cohen came in first by a huge margin over the second- and third-place finishers, after also placing near the top in the previous primaries. Likud members like him, but for most Israelis he is an enigmatic figure about whom little is known. That is his weakness and his strength.
“I am certainly happy with the result,” Cohen says in his first interview since his achievement in the primaries. “Likud members are smart people who love the country. They chose a high-quality slate of people who get things done. And I want to tell you that in every ministry I have served in, I have proven myself through actions and delivered results for citizens. For me, the word ‘give up’ does not exist.”
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Eli Cohen. 'I get up every morning at 7 a.m. and work all day for the good of the country'
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
How does your election fit with the populist and confrontational rhetoric in the Likud?
“Today people want to choose someone who gets things done, not just someone who talks. And, thank God, succeeding time after time speaks for itself. During the primaries, I didn’t talk against anyone. I mainly talked about what I had done, how I succeeded in breaking the monopoly of the Israel Electric Corp., how I ensured that the energy sector operates flawlessly, how I struck a gas deal with Egypt and how I secured visa-free entry to the United States for Israelis.”
So you cracked the code for defeating populism and shouting.
“Yes. I think actions beat populism and shouting.”
Before the primaries, no one was talking about Eli Cohen. Did that help you reach the top?
“In the previous primaries, the polls predicted I would finish sixth, and I finished second. This time, they thought I would be in the top three, and I came in first. I had a feeling that this time, too, I would know how to beat the polls. But I know one thing: I get up every morning at 7 a.m. and work all day for the good of the country.”
Coming in first in the Likud primaries is indeed an impressive political achievement and a statement of intent about the future. Moshe Kahlon, Gideon Sa’ar, Gilad Erdan and Yuli Edelstein have all done it before.
“I am happy that, like them, I managed to come in first.”
But Netanyahu also politically eliminated all four of them.
“I will continue working with Netanyahu and I am happy to have his trust. Netanyahu is the right person to lead Israel for the next four years. I think he delivered unprecedented achievements in the last term. From the trauma of Oct. 7, we have become the strongest power in the Middle East.”
Do you see yourself running for Likud leadership the day after Netanyahu?
“That question is not relevant now. We are two and a half months before the election, and I am focused on one thing only: ensuring that the Likud, under Netanyahu’s leadership, wins.”
Why are Likud ministers afraid to say they are worthy and suited to replace Netanyahu one day? Are you so afraid of him that it is difficult for you to say it out loud?
“We are on the eve of an election, and what is special about the Likud is that we are united around Netanyahu. The Likud is the most democratic party, unlike the left, which is constantly working to eliminate its leaders. You see that they have nothing except ‘just not Bibi.’”
Why did Netanyahu demand nine reserved slots on the slate? Doesn’t he trust Likud members?
“I think the prime minister sees other parties where the party chairman determines the entire slate as he sees fit, so he wanted those reserved slots for himself as well. Ultimately, the prime minister determines 25% of the slate through reserved slots, while 75% is determined by party members.”
Likud’s first reserved-slot candidate, Oren Dobronsky. 'Netanyahu saw other party leaders and wanted one too'
(Photo: Likud spokesperson’s office, Reuters/Ronen Zvulun)
Not looking to be a bookkeeper
Cohen, 53, who began the term as foreign minister before being moved to the Energy Ministry due to internal political considerations, has his sights set high. The next position he is targeting is finance minister.
“I certainly expect to hold a senior position in the next government,” he says. “The three senior portfolios are foreign affairs, finance and defense. Since I have already been foreign minister, the Finance Ministry interests me. I think the Finance Ministry must remain in Likud hands in the next term, and I have the qualifications for the job: my experience in the business world, my education as a certified public accountant and my personal background. I would want to lead a free-market economy with social sensitivity.”
What do you think of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich?
“In my view, the finance minister should not be a bookkeeper who distributes money. A finance minister should grow the pie, create engines of growth, ensure that young people want to live in the country, give them the opportunity to earn a decent living and work to reduce social gaps.”
Is it a mistake to appoint a sectoral finance minister?
“As I said, the Finance Ministry must remain in the governing party.”
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. 'The finance minister should not be a bookkeeper'
(Photo: Yuval Chen)
Netanyahu did everything he could to bring Knesset Member (MK) Almog Cohen of Otzma Yehudit into the Likud slate. Cohen himself claimed there are no longer any differences between Likud and Otzma Yehudit. Is the Likud no longer the party it once was?
“The Likud is a governing party, a responsible party. The party of all the people of Israel. The periphery and the center, Sephardim and Ashkenazim, traditional, secular and ultra-Orthodox Jews.”
And you aren’t offended when the Likud is compared with Otzma Yehudit?
“The Likud is not Otzma Yehudit. The Likud is the party of the people of Israel.”
Cohen apparently understands the potential electoral damage of the draft-evasion bill and the bill preventing the detention of deserters and draft evaders.
“We need to complete the enlistment law,” he says. “We must increase equal sharing of the burden, and our ultra-Orthodox brothers must also enlist. Anyone for whom Torah study is not their sole occupation — 60% of the ultra-Orthodox — must enlist. It is important for security, important for the economy and important for bringing unity to the Jewish people.”
Ultra-Orthodox protesters against military enlistment. '60% of the ultra-Orthodox must enlist'
(Photo: Motti Kimchi)
You could have done that during the last term and you didn’t.
“The government that preceded us, led by Lapid and Lieberman, which was the most anti-ultra-Orthodox government since the founding of the state, failed to bring in a single recruit. And we were primarily occupied with managing the war. Unfortunately, there are elements trying to downplay the achievements, but Israel’s achievements in this war are unprecedented. All those who challenged Israel did not live to old age. Not Nasrallah, not Sinwar and not Khamenei. We prevented Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.”
You didn’t prevent it. Perhaps you delayed it. Some experts say that after the two rounds against Iran, we have returned to where we started.
“Fine, we delayed it. But the war against Iran is a huge victory and a tremendous achievement.”
It is not certain that the public sees it that way. Otherwise, you would win the election easily.
“If we had not attacked, Iran would have had nuclear weapons. Intelligence officials say we delayed Iran’s nuclear program by two, three or four years. One thing is clear: If Iran tries to revive its nuclear program, we will be on our way there to attack. We have already demonstrated our capabilities.”
In other words, Israel needs to attack Iran again?
“I say again: If Iran makes the mistake of trying to revive its nuclear program or ballistic missile program, even if there is an agreement with the United States, we will be there to attack.”
There were significant achievements in the campaign against Iran. On the other hand, we did not achieve any of the three objectives of the war: eliminating the nuclear program, eliminating the ballistic missile program and overthrowing the regime.
“If we had not launched this campaign, Iran would already have nuclear weapons. Look at Israel’s deterrence capabilities. The fact is that until a few weeks ago Iran attacked most of the countries in the region. Whom did it not attack? Israel, because it knows we have deterrence. To this day, Mojtaba Khamenei has not emerged from the hole where he is hiding. He knows that Israel’s long arm can reach anywhere.”
Does Israel have a plan to create an alternative route bypassing the Strait of Hormuz?
“The prime minister and I are currently working with the United States to advance the creation of a route that would bypass both the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb. The idea is to lay a pipeline infrastructure, which already exists in Saudi Arabia and Israel.”
What is your biggest achievement at the Energy Ministry and Foreign Ministry?
“My most significant achievement at the Energy Ministry is that the energy sector functioned flawlessly during the war, despite the blackout scenarios and generators. And, of course, breaking the monopoly of the Israel Electric Corp. is also a very significant achievement. At the Foreign Ministry, after many years, I succeeded in completing the mission of securing visa-free travel for Israelis flying to the United States.”
Friends bringing friends
As someone who came from Moshe Kahlon’s Kulanu party, Cohen finds it difficult to align himself with the provocative statements made by Justice Minister Yariv Levin or Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana against the judicial system. He is also unwilling to say that he would refuse to honor a High Court of Justice ruling.
“The government is not above the law, but the court is not above the law either. There is a feeling that the balance between the branches of government has been disrupted,” Cohen says. “When we see attempts to block the appointment of Roman Gofman as Mossad director or Zini as Shin Bet chief, the High Court’s intervention is unnecessary.”
Excuse me, but the High Court approved Gofman’s appointment and Zini’s appointment.
“Yes, but I think the petitions regarding Gofman and Zini should have been dismissed outright. They should not even have reached a hearing. We need a court that operates according to the law. We need a court that enjoys public trust. I want Israel to have a court that represents all parts of the people, like in the United States. The ‘friends bring friends’ system in the courts must end. I succeeded in life because of who I am, not because of friends. That is how it should be in the military, in politics and in the judicial system.”
This week it was reported that Netanyahu is very concerned about the Likud’s polling numbers and those of the right-wing bloc. He estimated that he lost 10 seats during the last term and is not sure he will be able to bring them back. Cohen argues that the Likud is always underestimated in the polls.
“In 2015, the polls gave the Likud 21 or 22 seats. We finished with 30 and won. In the last election, the polls gave our bloc 57 or 58 seats, and we got 64. In other words, there is a bias in the polls. In the actual results, the right always gains strength. I believe that this time, too, those who are undecided and sometimes talk about change will go to vote and their hands will tremble. They will not want a government to be formed here with the Islamic Movement.”
Maybe their hands won’t tremble because of Oct. 7 and Netanyahu’s responsibility for the largest massacre in the country’s history?
“The issue of Oct. 7 needs to be investigated by a national commission of inquiry that examines everyone going back years. But today, Israel is the undisputed power in the Middle East. We have achieved results on every front. So I am sure that this time, too, we will get many more seats than the polls predict.”
A Hamas terrorist from the Nukhba force on Oct. 7. 'We need a national commission of inquiry'
There is still a cloud hanging over the issuance of a diplomatic passport to Yair Netanyahu. Why did you get caught up in this affair?
“This investigation should never have been opened because Yair Netanyahu’s passport was renewed several times for security reasons by several director-generals, beginning in 2009. The issuance of passports to mayors, too, was done as it had been in the past, for their international activities as part of their positions.”
Your son served in the reserves in Lebanon. You are a member of the Cabinet and are supposed to make decisions that also concern Lebanon. Does that affect your decision-making?
“I try to make decisions only according to what is good and right for Israel’s security. Sometimes Cabinet decisions result in my son being called up for reserve duty as well. A month ago, he completed several months of reserve service in Lebanon. I am a Cabinet member by day and, on quite a few nights, also a worried father. I understand the significance of our decisions. And yes, I can tell you that I am proud of him and his friends.”