Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel
Minister of Foreign Affairs Eli Cohen is married, the father of four and a resident of the city of Holon. He a CPA and former lecturer at Tel Aviv University. During his army service, he attained the rank of major. He has served as a director in various companies and in a variety of senior positions in the business sector. When Israel’s 37th government was sworn in, Eli Cohen was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, in rotation with Israel Katz, who was appointed Minister of Energy. It was agreed that Cohen would hold the position until December 2023, when he would be replaced by Katz, and in December 2025 the roles of the two would change again.
Previous Roles:
Private sector:
- Lecturer, Tel Aviv University, Faculty of Management
- Deputy CEO, The Israel Land Development Company LTD.
- Head of the corporate sector, Ma’alot S&P rating company
- CPA at BDO ISRAEL Accounting Firm
Knesset roles:
- Chairman of the Reforms Committee
- Member of the finance committee
- Member of the joint committee for the defense budget
Roles in lobbies:
- Chairman of the Housing Lobby
- Member of the Lobby for Small and Medium Businesses in Israel
- Member of the Land of Israel Lobby
- Member of the Blue-White Lobby
- Member of the Young Families Lobby
- Member of the Lobby to Reduce Gaps in Education
Positions in the government:
- Minister of Economy and Industry in the 34th government, from January 23, 2017.
- Member of the Security-Political Cabinet
Education:
- Master’s degree in Business Administration (M.Sc) with specialization in finance and accounting, Tel Aviv University
- Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
- Bachelor’s degree (B.A) in accounting, Tel Aviv University
- Bachelor’s degree (B.A) in management and economics, The Open University