Ben-Gvir decided to dismiss Cohen from his spot in the Knesset committee after several instances in which Cohen acted independently from his party's views.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF Otzma Yehudit party head Itamar Ben-Gvir and MK Almog Cohen attend a discussion at the Knesset on November 22, 2022(photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
Otzma Yehudit lawmaker MK Almog Cohen took aim at his faction leader National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after his dismissal from the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday evening.
Ben-Gvir decided to dismiss Cohen from his spot in the Knesset committee after several instances in which Cohen, who is in his first term as an MK, acted independently from his party's views and publicly criticized the national security minister's conduct within the coalition.
In a tweet sent out following a meeting between himself and Ben-Gvir, Cohen accused the minister of carrying out "personal vendettas" instead of addressing an upsurge of crime and violence in Israel's Negev and Galilee regions.
"I was disappointed to hear of my dismissal," Cohen said, sarcastically suggesting that his replacement in the committee should be Ben-Gvir's controversial right-hand man and chief-of-staff, Chanamel Dorfman.
בזמן שהפשיעה בנגב ובגליל חוגגת ואזרחים נרצחים ברחובות, כדאי להתעסק בלייצר פתרונות, ופחות בנקמות אישיות. גאה על כך שעמדתי על דעתי בחדרים סגורים להצביע בעד התקציב כפי שנעשה הערב, בכדי לשמור על ממשלת הימין החשובה הזו שמביאה לנגב תקציבי עתק ופרוייקטים לאומיים. הצטערתי לשמוע על… pic.twitter.com/1ierKQCuQw
— אלמוג כהן Almog cohen (@almog_cohen08) May 23, 2023
MK Almog Cohen reacts during a discussion and a vote in the assembly hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on February 22, 2023. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)
Cohen: Dismissal was due to not supporting Knesset boycott
On Wednesday morning, Cohen admitted that he was hurt by the way he was fired by his faction leader in an interview with KAN Reshet B. "It leaked to the press as I was receiving the news from Ben-Gvir," Cohen said.
Cohen claimed his dismissal was due to his objection to Otzma Yehudit's boycott of Knesset votes after the Development of the Negev and Galilee and National Resilience Ministry received what Ben-Gvir felt was insufficient funding.
The boycott proved successful, however, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich conceded a NIS 250 million raise to the ministry in order to pass the budget, which the coalition did overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday.
"Everyone in the faction says what is on their minds, I was punished for it, and that is okay," Cohen said. "I think we should put more focus into the burning issues rather than disciplining MKs."
