Meir Cohen (politician)

Meir Cohen (מֵאִיר כֹּהֵן, born 15 November 1955) is an Israeli politician. A former mayor of Dimona, and former Minister of Welfare and Social Affairs. Cohen is currently a member of the Knesset for Yesh Atid. He previously held the position from 2013–2014.

Biography
Born in Essaouira in Morocco, Cohen's family immigrated in 1962 when he was seven. After initially settling in Yeruham, they moved to Dimona and were one of its founding families. He studied at the Lehman school in Dimona. In 1973, Cohen was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces, joined the Paratroopers Brigade, and fought in the Yom Kippur War. He attended Ben-Gurion University of the Negev where he gained a bachelor's degree in history. Cohen earned a master's degree in Jewish Studies after graduating from the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem. He later worked as a headteacher in Dimona.

He joined Yisrael Beiteinu and ran for mayor of Dimona in 2003, and was elected with 42% of the vote. He was elected for a second term in 2008, and was expected to win a third term in 2013. During his tenure numerous factories opened, the city's first mall was built, unemployment dropped, he built cultural and youth centers, and led the efforts to lower the price of water. In October 2012 he joined Yesh Atid after being courted by the party for several months.

In addition to serving as mayor of Dimona, Cohen was also a member of the board of directors of the Jewish Agency.

In the lead-up to the 2013 Knesset elections Cohen was placed fourth on the list of the new Yesh Atid party, entering the Knesset as the party won 19 seats. He was appointed Minister of Welfare and Social Services, a post he held until resigning on 2 December 2014. He was placed fourth on the party's list for the 2015 elections, and was re-elected as the party won 11 seats.

In the 2021 elections, Cohen was placed third on the list of the Yesh Atid party, which ran separately from Blue and White this time. Following the elections, a new government was established by the Yesh Atid and Yamina parties, and Cohen was reappointed as the Minister of Welfare and Social Services. He held the position until December 2022, when the next government was established by Likud and Yesh Atid returned to opposition.