Coalition Crisis Resolved: MK Almog Cohen of Otzma Yehudit will be appointed Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and will resign from the Knesset - which will allow Zvi Sukkot to return to the Knesset and resolve the political crisis between the Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism parties.
At the same time, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich will withdraw his resignation, thus leaving MK Yitzhak Kroizer in the Knesset.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video in which he thanked Cohen for his move. "Twice, MK Almog Cohen saved the coalition and prevented a turmoil that could have brought down the government. Today, Almog is doing it for the third time. He did not want to leave the Knesset and I convinced him to come and talk at the Prime Minister's Office. I told him that he needs to ensure the stability of the government and the coalition at this historic time. I appreciate it because it serves the greatest interests of the State of Israel."
Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid called the move "another unnecessary and fabricated political job that will cost millions at the expense of citizens who pay taxes and serve in the reserves. This time, the fraudulent is for Almog Cohen, but the one who pays, as always, is the Israeli middle class."
Today, Israeli leaders in Judea and Samaria sent an urgent letter to the Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, requesting that he act to uphold the coalition agreement and allow the return of MK Zvi Sukkot to the Knesset.
The request was made after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced his return to the Knesset, a move that could have led to the removal from the Knesset of MK Kroizer, who entered the Knesset under the 'Norwegian Law.'
"We are turning to you right before the final moment, precisely in this period of the Trump Administration and the boom in settlement in Judea and Samaria, we need public emissaries who will work for the settlements in legislation and in Knesset committees. A solution must be urgently found that will keep these public emissaries in the Knesset," the leaders wrote.
