Despite Seglovich's move: The message from a senior "Behad" member: A Zionist coalition first | Listen

MK Meir Cohen, a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on behalf of "Behad", spoke with Ron Koffman and Aryeh Eldad on 103fm about the preparations for the 2026 elections, the emerging political picture, and the possibility of forming a coalition. During the conversation, he also addressed Yoav Seglovich, Naftali Bennett, and Gadi Eisenkot, and the question of whether "Behad" will succeed in gaining broad public trust.

Referring to Yoav Seglovich, Cohen said: "Yoav, in my eyes, is one of the most worthy people, he has done so much in public service and I wish him success wherever he will be." He added: "Last week I heard the news and called Yoav and asked him. In the Knesset, they talked about it, but there was no guiding hand. Yoav did not leave because he understood that it was difficult for him or that there was no place for him in the Knesset. I still think, and that is where we are aiming, that this time we will succeed in assembling a coalition of Zionist parties that understand that this is the state of the Jews."

Cohen also addressed the possibility of political cooperation with the Arab parties: "I think we will be surprised and the story of talking Arabs and Jews will not be the issue. What interests me is why after everything we have been through, Bibi will still go to sit with the draft dodgers and strengthen them, he clarified. When someone gets up and says to me 'Meir, will you establish a Palestinian state, because that is a condition for me to vote for you?', I say to him 'Sir, if that is a condition, apparently you will not vote for us'."

Regarding the change in public positions following October 7, he said: "The public sentiment that is moving to the right is clear to us. Those same people who asked me as a minister to support the entry of workers from Gaza into Israel out of their understanding that if it is good for them, then it will be good for us... I saw in the videos from Be'eri and Kfar Aza those whom we let in, and I understand the public's feelings. We are all aiming for a Zionist coalition."

"It is legitimate to say that with 6-8 mandates one cannot be prime minister"

Later, Cohen addressed the "government of change" and the criticism of the possibility that a candidate with a single-digit number of mandates would serve as prime minister. "I think the government of change was excellent. Every morning we put on boots and went to work and succeeded very well. We did things that for many years were not done, and in the end, the government fell apart because the choice of people was not right, he noted. It is legitimate to hear people who say that with 6-8 mandates one cannot be prime minister, that is fine."

Cohen was also asked about Gadi Eisenkot's entry into the political arena: "Gadi entered the picture and he is worthy and an excellent guy. Do you know how many people eulogized Yesh Atid? We did not crash and we are here in full force. I say that in the end, Gadi is an excellent man, and what we have in our backpack is experience. We don't need 100 days of learning, but to enter the offices and establish a state commission of inquiry in the first week."

In conclusion, Cohen clarified that the direction is to continue the path with "Behad" and Bennett: "We are going forward with the Behad party, that is where we are aiming our faces. I am going with Bennett because of the experience and it has extraordinary importance, he explained. He was also a good Minister of Education and Economy, he was a good Minister of Defense and Prime Minister."

MK Cohen further noted: "We have a prime minister now, after the greatest disaster. People do not despise Bennett, and we have in-depth polls. None of our polls reveal hatred or contempt for Bennett; they understand his ability and the experience of our excellent team."