Deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Almog Cohen, has retracted his resignation less than 48 hours after he initially announced it due to the lack of progress in advancing the establishment of a civilian airport in the Negev.
In a statement he released, Cohen said he chose to withdraw his resignation following the cancellation of discussions in the National Council for Planning and Construction regarding the establishment of a civilian airport in Ramat David in the north of the country. According to him, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will later convene an urgent discussion with the military on promoting an airport in the Negev, as Cohen had requested.
Cohen thanked Netanyahu for his support
"I thank Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his firm support of the residents of the Negev. The deep state, which is trying to replace the elected officials, will continue to lose again and again," Cohen said in a statement.
"A Negev airport is a game-changing project that will create thousands of quality jobs, a massive ecosystem, and will bring historical justice to this important region in the Negev."
Cohen was appointed deputy minister in April as part of a coalition deal, which included his resignation from the Knesset under the Norwegian Law, in order to bring back Tzvi Sukkot to the Knesset and resolve a dispute over parliamentary seats between Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism. Following the withdrawal of his resignation, Tzvi Sukkot will remain a Knesset member under the Norwegian Law.
Cohen was appointed deputy minister in the Prime Minister's Office with limited authority, and among other things, was promised he would head a steering committee to oversee the planning, construction, and monitoring of a supplementary airport to Ben Gurion Airport in the Negev.