Ran Cohen (Hebrew: רן כהן‎, born 20 June 1937) is an Israeli politician and former Knesset member for Meretz.

Starting in 1992, he served as a member of Meretz, a dovish left wing party which resulted from the merger of Mapam, Ratz and Shinui.

[2] Supporters of Cohen blamed his defeat on anti-Mizrahi racism within the party and pointed out that he was the only non-Ashkenazi to reach a senior position within it.

[citation needed] On 1 November 2008, following Beilin's resignation, he announced his intention to retire from political life and not to seek a spot on the party's list ahead of the upcoming general elections.

He said "I want to start chapter three of my life, to do things for my soul: writing, lecturing, taking part in social and public initiatives that interest me".