Eli Cohen

Eli Cohen is one of the most prominent names in Likud's top tier, and on JudgeMarket the public's verdict on him rests more on a record of executive posts than on a leader's charisma. The former accountant served as economy minister and intelligence minister and, during 2023, as foreign minister — a period of international visits and contacts that gave him wider exposure than colleagues in domestic portfolios, but also controversies, such as the disclosure of his meeting with Libya's foreign minister. That period also left behind the diplomatic passports affair: in June 2026 the police announced that in their view there was an evidentiary basis for indicting him on a charge of fraud and breach of trust, and the case was handed to the State Attorney's Office. As energy and infrastructure minister he made approval of the major gas export deal with Egypt conditional on protecting the interests of the Israeli economy and on a fair price for local consumers, and in December 2025 the deal, presented as the largest export deal in the country's history, was approved. He came first in the Likud primary in August 2026, so he is placed second on the list, right after Netanyahu, for the October 27 election. To Likud supporters he is an experienced and loyal doer; his critics see him as sharing in the responsibility of the government in which he was serving as foreign minister on the day of the October 7 massacre. His standing is closely tied to Likud's fortunes and moves together with that of other senior party figures, such as Amichai Chikli; a senior portfolio in the next government, or a prominent diplomatic or economic mandate, is what could establish him in the public's eyes as an independent figure rather than merely a party heavyweight.