Former Mossad Director Yossi Cohen spoke at a conference in New York, announcing that he does not intend to enter politics in the upcoming elections.
“I’m not running for politics in the next elections. We’ll see what happens later,” Cohen said during his address at the Shurat HaDin conference held in New York.
He also commented on the issue of the fallen Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, saying: “I estimate that there are at least seven additional deceased hostages whose locations Hamas knows, and they can be located and returned to us. As for the others, I’m not sure.”
Just two months ago, Cohen had declared that he planned to run for prime minister in the future. In an interview on the podcast of businesswoman Yasmin Lukatz, he said: “In the past, my family always told me, ‘Stay away from politics,’ because of the heavy personal costs involved. Today, to a large extent, there’s no choice. A big part of the public is urging me forward - and if real change is needed, I have to be prime minister.”
When asked why he hasn’t yet entered politics actively, Cohen replied: “I’m not entering politics right now because nothing is really happening politically. I also don’t see this as politics. I see it differently - I think it needs to be defined differently. In my view, this is a leadership role, not necessarily a political one - especially after October 7. That’s the leadership model I intend to offer when elections are called - one based primarily on unity and security.”