List of prime ministers of Israel
This article lists the prime ministers of Israel since the adoption of the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948.
Contents
Prime ministers of Israel (1948–present)
Thirteen people have served as prime minister of Israel, five of whom have served on two non-consecutive occasions. Additionally, one person, Yigal Allon, has served solely as an interim prime minister.
The other two who have served as ad interim prime minister have gone on to become the prime minister.
Mapai/Alignment/Labor (7) Likud (4) Kadima (2) Yamina (1) | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Name (Lifespan) |
Portrait | Political party | Term of office | Elected (Knesset) |
Government | |||
No. | Composition | ||||||||
1 | David Ben-Gurion <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן (1886–1973) |
75px | Mapai | 14 May 1948 | 10 March 1949 | — | Prov. | Mapai • Mapam • HHaM • New Aliyah • S&O • Mizrachi • Gen.Zionists • Aguda | |
10 March 1949 | 1 November 1950 | 1949 (1st) | 1st | Mapai • URF • Progressives • S&O • DLN | |||||
1 November 1950 | 8 October 1951 | 2nd | |||||||
8 October 1951 | 24 December 1952 | 1951 (2nd) | 3rd | Mapai • Mizrachi • HHaM-Aguda-PAY • DLIA-P&W-A&D | |||||
24 December 1952 | 26 January 1954 | 4th | Mapai • Gen.Zionists • Progressive • Mizrachi • HHaM • DLIA-P&W-A&D | ||||||
2 | Moshe Sharett <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />משֶׁה שָרֵת (1894–1965) |
75px | Mapai | 26 January 1954 | 29 June 1955 | 5th | |||
29 June 1955 | 3 November 1955 | 6th | Mapai • Mizrachi • HHaM • DLIA-P&W-A&D | ||||||
(1) | David Ben-Gurion <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן (1886–1973) |
75px | Mapai | 3 November 1955 | 7 January 1958 | 1955 (3rd) | 7th | Mapai • NRP • Mapam • AHaA • Progressives • DLIA-P&W-A&D • P&D-C&B[9] | |
7 January 1958 | 17 December 1959 | 8th | |||||||
17 December 1959 | 2 November 1961 | 1959 (4th) | 9th | ||||||
2 November 1961 | 26 June 1963 | 1961 (5th) | 10th | Mapai • NRP • AHaA • PAY • P&D-C&B | |||||
3 | Levi Eshkol <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />לֵוִי אֶשְׁכּוֹל (1895–1969) |
75px | Mapai | 26 June 1963 | 22 December 1964 | 11th | |||
22 December 1964 | 12 January 1966 | 12th | |||||||
Alignment[1] Mapai/Labor |
12 January 1966 | 26 February 1969[2] | 1965 (6th) | 13th | Alignment • NRP • Mapam • Indep.Liberals • PAY • P&D-C&B • Gahal[9] • Rafi[9] | ||||
— | Yigal Allon <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />יִגְאָל אַלּוֹן (1918–1980) |
75px | Alignment Labor |
26 February 1969[2] | 17 March 1969 | ||||
4 | Golda Meir <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />גּוֹלְדָּה מֵאִיר (1898–1978) |
75px | Alignment Labor |
17 March 1969 | 15 December 1969 | 14th | |||
15 December 1969 | 10 March 1974 | 1969 (7th) | 15th | Alignment • Gahal[9] • NRP • Indep.Liberals • P&D-C&B | |||||
10 March 1974 | 3 June 1974 | 1973 (8th) | 16th | Alignment • NRP • Indep.Liberals | |||||
5 | Yitzhak Rabin <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />יִצְחָק רַבִּין (1922–1995) |
75px | Alignment Labor |
3 June 1974 | 20 June 1977[3] | 17th | Alignment • Indep.Liberals • Ratz[9] • NRP[9] | ||
6 | Menachem Begin <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />מְנַחֵם בֵּגִין (1913–1992) |
75px | Likud | 20 June 1977 | 5 August 1981 | 1977 (9th) | 18th | Likud • NRP • Aguda • Dash[9] | |
5 August 1981 | 10 October 1983 | 1981 (10th) | 19th | Likud • NRP • Aguda • Tami • Telem/MRSZ[9] • Tehiya[9] | |||||
7 | Yitzhak Shamir <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />יִצְחָק שָׁמִיר (1915–2012) |
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Likud | 10 October 1983 | 13 September 1984 | 20th | |||
8 | Shimon Peres <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />שִׁמְעוֹן פֶּרֶס (1923–2016) |
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Alignment Labor |
13 September 1984[4] | 20 October 1986 | 1984 (11th) | 21st | Alignment • Likud • NRP • Aguda • Shas • Morasha[9] • Shinui • Ometz | |
(7) | Yitzhak Shamir <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />יִצְחָק שָׁמִיר (1915–2012) |
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Likud | 20 October 1986[4] | 22 December 1988 | 22nd | |||
22 December 1988 | 11 June 1990 | 1988 (12th) | 23rd | Likud • Alignment • NRP • Shas • Aguda • Degel HaTorah | |||||
11 June 1990 | 13 July 1992 | 24th | Likud • NRP • Shas • Aguda • Degel HaTorah • New Liberal • Tehiya • Tzomet • Moledet • UPI • Geula | ||||||
(5) | Yitzhak Rabin <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />יִצְחָק רַבִּין (1922–1995) |
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Labor | 13 July 1992 | 4 November 1995[5] | 1992 (13th) | 25th | Labor • Meretz • Shas[9] • Yiud[9] | |
— | Shimon Peres <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />שִׁמְעוֹן פֶּרֶס (1923–2016) |
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Labor | 4 November 1995[5] | 22 November 1995 | 26th | |||
(8) | 22 November 1995 | 18 June 1996 | |||||||
9 | Benjamin Netanyahu <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />בִּנְיָמִין נְתַנְיָהוּ (born 1949) |
75px | Likud | 18 June 1996 | 6 July 1999 | 1996 (14th) | 27th | Likud-Gesher-Tzomet • Shas • NRP • BaAliyah • UTJ • Third Way | |
10 | Ehud Barak <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />אֵהוּד בָּרָק (born 1942) |
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One Israel Labor |
6 July 1999 | 7 March 2001 | 1999 | (15th) | 28th | One Israel • Shas • Meretz • BaAliyah • Centre • NRP • UTJ[9] |
11 |
Ariel Sharon <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />אֲרִיאֵל שָׁרוֹן (1928–2014) |
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Likud | 7 March 2001 | 28 February 2003 | 2001 | 29th | Likud • Labor-Meimad[9] • Shas[9] • Centre • NRP • UTJ • BaAliyah • NU-Beiteinu • New Way • Gesher | |
28 February 2003 | 21 November 2005 | 2003 (16th) | 30th | Likud • Shinui[9] • NU[9] • NRP[9] • Labor-Meimad • Aguda[9] | |||||
Kadima | 21 November 2005 | (4 Jan. 2006)[7] 14 April 2006 |
Kadima • Likud[9] • Aguda | ||||||
— | Ehud Olmert <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />אֵהוּד אוֹלְמֶרט (born 1945) |
75px | Kadima | 4 January 2006[7] | 14 April 2006 | ||||
12 | 14 April 2006 | 4 May 2006 | |||||||
4 May 2006 | 31 March 2009[8] | 2006 (17th) | 31st | Kadima • Labor • Shas • Gil • Beiteinu[9] | |||||
(9) | Benjamin Netanyahu <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />בִּנְיָמִין נְתַנְיָהוּ (born 1949) |
75px | Likud | 31 March 2009 | 18 March 2013 | 2009 (18th) | 32nd | Likud • Beiteinu • Shas • Labor/Indep.[9] • Jewish Home • UTJ[9] | |
18 March 2013 | 6 May 2015 | 2013 (19th) | 33rd | Likud • Yesh Atid • The Jewish Home • Yisrael Beiteinu • Hatnuah | |||||
6 May 2015 | 9 April 2019 | 2015 (20th) | 34th | Likud • Kulanu • The Jewish Home • Shas • UTJ • Yisrael Beiteinu[9] | |||||
— | 9 April 2019 | 17 September 2019 | April 2019 (21st) | ||||||
17 September 2019 | 17 May 2020 | September 2019 (22nd) | |||||||
(9) | 17 May 2020 | 13 June 2021 | 2020 (23rd) | 35th | Likud • Blue and White • Shas • UTJ • Labor • Derekh Eretz[9] • Gesher • The Jewish Home | ||||
13 | Naftali Bennett <templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />נַפְתָּלִי בֶּנֶט (born 1972) |
75px | Yamina New Right |
13 June 2021 | Present | 2021 (24th) | 36th | Yesh Atid • Blue and White • Labor • Yisrael Beiteinu • Yamina • New Hope • Meretz • Ra'am |
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Notes
1 For the 1965 elections, Mapai allied with Ahdut HaAvoda to form the Labor Alignment, later renamed Alignment. This first Alignment ended when Mapai, Ahdut HaAvoda and Rafi merged to form the Labor Party on 23 January 1968. On 28 January 1969, Labor formed a second Alignment in alliance with Mapam.
2 Eshkol died while in office. Yigal Allon briefly served as Acting Prime Minister until he was replaced by Meir.
3 Rabin resigned and called for early elections in December 1976. After he was re-elected as the Alignment's leader, he resigned as candidate for the upcoming elections on 7 April 1977, but legally remained Prime Minister until Begin's first government was formed. However, Shimon Peres unofficially served as Acting Prime Minister from 22 April 1977 until 21 June 1977.
4 After the 1984 elections, Likud and the Alignment reached a coalition agreement by which the role of Prime Minister would be rotated mid-term between them. Shimon Peres of the Alignment served as Prime Minister for the first two years, and then the role was passed to Yitzhak Shamir. After the 1988 election Likud was able to govern without the Alignment, and Yitzhak Shamir became Prime Minister again.
5 Rabin was assassinated while in office. Shimon Peres served as Acting Prime Minister until 22 November 1995.
6 On 21 November 2005, Prime Minister Sharon, along with several other ministers and MKs, split from Likud over the issue of disengagement from the Gaza Strip and negotiations over the final status of the West Bank. Sharon formed a new party, Kadima, which would go on to compete in the following elections of March 2006. Sharon continued as Prime Minister.
7 As the result of Ariel Sharon suffering a severe stroke on 4 January 2006, and being put under general anaesthetic, Ehud Olmert served as the Acting Prime Minister (Hebrew: ממלא מקום ראש הממשלה בפועל) from 4 January[1] to 14 April, according to Basic Law: The Government: "Should the Prime Minister be temporarily unable to discharge his duties, his place will be filled by the Acting Prime Minister. After the passage of 100 days upon which the Prime Minister does not resume his duties, the Prime Minister will be deemed permanently unable to exercise his office." Basic Law: the Government 2001, section 16b In Sharon's case, this occurred on 14 April 2006, upon which Olmert became Interim Prime Minister for the remainder of the 30th government, finally becoming full Prime Minister on the formation of the 31st government.[2]
8 Olmert officially resigned on 21 September 2008. With this, his cabinet became an interim government, and he was the "Interim" Prime Minister until the establishment of a new governing coalition (he was officially the Prime Minister, however, the government under him was an interim government, in this case).[3]
9 The following parties were members of a government during only part of its term:
- 9th: Progress and Development and Cooperation and Brotherhood, two new parties, were members of the 9th government, which was otherwise identical in composition to the 7th and 8th governments.
- 13th: Gahal and Rafi joined 5 June 1967. Rafi merged into Labor (a member of the Alignment) 23 January 1968.
- 15th: Gahal stood down 6 August 1970.
- 17th: National Religious Party joined 30 October 1970; Ratz stood down 6 November 1970.
- 18th: Democratic Movement for Change joined October 1977.
- 19th: Tehiya joined 26 August 1981; the Movement for the Renewal of Social Zionism was formed 6 June 1983 following the break-up of Telem.
- 22nd: Morasha was not included in the 22nd government, which was otherwise identical in composition to the 21st government.
- 25th: Shas stood down 14 September 1993; Yiud joined 9 January 1995.
- 28th: United Torah Judaism stood down September 1999.
- 29th: Shas stood down 23 May 2002, returned 3 June; Labor-Meimad stood down 2 November 2002.
- 30th: National Religious Party joined 3 March 2003, stood down 11 November 2004; National Union stood down 6 June 2004; Shinui stood down 4 December 2004; Labor-Meimad joined 10 January 2005; Agudat Yisrael joined 30 March 2005; Kadima broke away from Likud and Labor-Meimad stood down 23 November 2005, leaving a government consisting of Kadima, Likud and Agudat Yisrael; Likud stood down 15 January 2006.
- 31st: Yisrael Beiteinu joined November 2006; stood down 16 January 2008.
- 32nd: United Torah Judaism joined 1 April 2009; Independence broke away from Labor 17 January 2011; Independence remained in the government and Labor stood down.
- 34th: Yisrael Beiteinu joined 30 May 2016; stood down 18 November 2018; New Right split from The Jewish Home on 29 December 2018 and remained in gov't until 2 June 2019, returning on 8 November 2019;Kulanu merged into Likud on 31 July 2019;The Jewish Home merged with Tkuma and Otzma Yehudit on 21 February 2019 to become the Union of Right-Wing Parties; On 15 January 2020, New Right and URWP merged to become Yamina.
- 35th: Of the three Labor MKs, one (Merav Michaeli) sat in opposition; Derekh Eretz stood down 16 December 2020.
Term of office in years
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- Benjamin Netanyahu: 15 years and 92 days (first term: 3 years and 18 days; second term: 12 years and 74 days)
- David Ben-Gurion: 13 years and 127 days (first term: 5 years and 257 days; second term: 7 years and 235 days)
- Yitzhak Shamir: 6 years and 242 days (first term: 339 days; second term: 5 years and 268 days)
- Yitzhak Rabin: 6 years and 132 days (first term: 3 years and 18 days; second term: 3 years and 114 days)
- Menachem Begin: 6 years and 113 days
- Levi Eshkol: 5 years and 247 days
- Ariel Sharon: 5 years and 39 days (Including a 100 days period of "temporary incapacitation" wherein the Prime minister's authorities were delegated to the Designated Acting Prime Minister)
- Golda Meir: 5 years and 19 days
- Ehud Olmert: 2 years and 351 days (In addition, served as Acting Prime Minister, wherein the Prime Minister's authorities were delegated to him)
- Shimon Peres: 2 years and 264 days (first term: 2 years and 37 days; second term: 227 days)
- Moshe Sharett: 1 year and 281 days
- Ehud Barak: 1 year and 245 days
- Yigal Allon: 19 days (interim)
- Naftali Bennett: Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. as of 31 August 2024
This is a graphical lifespan timeline of prime ministers of Israel. The prime ministers are listed in order of office.
![](/w/images/timeline/d271a695535a1824b24e3f27d3b7713a.png)
See also
- Prime Minister of Israel
- List of Jewish leaders in the Land of Israel
- List of prime ministers of Israel by longevity
- List of presidents of Israel
References
- ↑ [1] Knesset, Governments of Israel
- ↑ Basic Law: The Government (2001) Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 7 March 2001
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
- The PM's Who Shaped Israel – slideshow by The First Post
- Articles with short description
- Wikipedia pages under discretionary sanctions
- Wikipedia pages under 30-500 editing restriction
- Use dmy dates from March 2020
- Articles with invalid date parameter in template
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles containing Hebrew-language text
- Lists of government ministers of Israel
- Lists of prime ministers by country
- Lists of members of the Knesset
- Prime Ministers of Israel
- Israel-related lists