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List of prime ministers of Israel

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David Ben-Gurion was the first prime minister.
Benjamin Netanyahu is the current prime minister.

The prime minister of Israel is the head of government and chief executive of the State of Israel.

Since the adoption of the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948, 14 people have served as the prime minister of Israel, five of whom have served on two or three non-consecutive occasions. Additionally, one person, Yigal Allon, has served solely as an acting prime minister. The other two who have served as acting prime minister have gone on to become the prime minister.

The incumbent prime minister of Israel is Benjamin Netanyahu, who assumed office on 29 December 2022. He also held the office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021. Having served for more than 17 years, Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in the history of Israel.

Prime ministers of Israel (1948–present)

  Mapai/Alignment/Labor (7)       Herut/Likud (4)       Kadima (2)       Yamina (1)        Yesh Atid (1)
No. Name
(Lifespan)
Portrait Political party Term of office Elected
(Knesset)
Government
No. Composition
1 David Ben-Gurion
(1886–1973)
Mapai 14 May 1948 10 March 1949 Prov. MapaiMapamHHaMNew AliyahS&OMizrachiGen.ZionistsAguda
10 March 1949 1 November 1950 1949 (1st) 1st MapaiURFProgressivesS&ODLN
1 November 1950 8 October 1951 2nd
8 October 1951 24 December 1952 1951 (2nd) 3rd MapaiMizrachiHHaM-Aguda-PAYDLIA-P&W-A&D
24 December 1952 7 December 1953 4th MapaiGen.ZionistsProgressiveMizrachiHHaMDLIA-P&W-A&D
2 Moshe Sharett
(1894–1965)
Mapai 7 December 1953 26 January 1954
26 January 1954 29 June 1955 5th
29 June 1955 3 November 1955 6th MapaiMizrachiHHaMDLIA-P&W-A&D
(1) David Ben-Gurion
(1886–1973)
Mapai 3 November 1955 7 January 1958 1955 (3rd) 7th MapaiNRPMapamAHaAProgressivesDLIA-P&W-A&DP&D-C&B[11]
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 MapaiNRPAHaAPAYP&D-C&B
3 Levi Eshkol
(1895–1969)
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 AlignmentNRPMapamIndep.LiberalsPAYP&D-C&BGahal[11]Rafi[11]
Yigal Allon
(1918–1980)
Acting
Alignment
Labor
26 February 1969[2] 17 March 1969
4 Golda Meir
(1898–1978)
Alignment
Labor
17 March 1969 15 December 1969 14th
15 December 1969 10 March 1974 1969 (7th) 15th AlignmentGahal[11]NRPIndep.LiberalsP&D-C&B
10 March 1974 3 June 1974 1973 (8th) 16th AlignmentNRPIndep.Liberals
5 Yitzhak Rabin
(1922–1995)
Alignment
Labor
3 June 1974 20 June 1977[3] 17th AlignmentIndep.LiberalsRatz[11]NRP[11]
6 Menachem Begin
(1913–1992)
Herut
Likud[4]
20 June 1977 5 August 1981 1977 (9th) 18th LikudNRPAgudaDash[11]
5 August 1981 10 October 1983 1981 (10th) 19th LikudNRPAgudaTamiTelem/MRSZ[11]Tehiya[11]
7 Yitzhak Shamir
(1915–2012)
Herut
Likud[4]
10 October 1983 13 September 1984 20th
8 Shimon Peres
(1923–2016)
Alignment
Labor
13 September 1984[5] 20 October 1986 1984 (11th) 21st AlignmentLikudNRPAgudaShasMorasha[11]ShinuiOmetz
(7) Yitzhak Shamir
(1915–2012)
Herut
Likud[4]
20 October 1986[5] 22 December 1988 22nd
Likud[4] 22 December 1988 11 June 1990 1988 (12th) 23rd LikudAlignmentNRPShasAgudaDegel HaTorah
11 June 1990 13 July 1992 24th LikudNRPShasAgudaDegel HaTorahNew LiberalTehiyaTzometMoledetUPIGeula
(5) Yitzhak Rabin
(1922–1995)
Labor 13 July 1992 4 November 1995[6] 1992 (13th) 25th LaborMeretzShas[11]Yiud[11]
Shimon Peres
(1923–2016)
Labor 4 November 1995[6] 22 November 1995 26th
(8) 22 November 1995 18 June 1996
9 Benjamin Netanyahu
(born 1949)
Likud 18 June 1996 6 July 1999 1996 (14th) 27th Likud-Gesher-TzometShasNRPBaAliyahUTJThird Way
10 Ehud Barak
(born 1942)
One Israel
Labor
6 July 1999 7 March 2001 1999 (15th) 28th One IsraelShasMeretzBaAliyahCentreNRPUTJ[11]


11
Ariel Sharon
(1928–2014)
Likud 7 March 2001 28 February 2003 2001 29th LikudLabor-Meimad[11]Shas[11]CentreNRPUTJBaAliyahNU-BeiteinuNew WayGesher
28 February 2003 21 November 2005[7] 2003 (16th) 30th LikudShinui[11]NU[11]NRP[11]Labor-MeimadAguda[11]
Kadima 21 November 2005[7] (4 January 2006)[8]
14 April 2006
KadimaLikud[11]Aguda
Ehud Olmert
(born 1945)
Kadima 4 January 2006[8] 14 April 2006
12 14 April 2006 4 May 2006
4 May 2006 31 March 2009[9] 2006 (17th) 31st KadimaLaborShasGilBeiteinu[11]
(9) Benjamin Netanyahu
(born 1949)
Likud 31 March 2009 18 March 2013 2009 (18th) 32nd LikudBeiteinuShasLabor/Indep.[11]Jewish HomeUTJ[11]
18 March 2013 6 May 2015 2013 (19th) 33rd LikudYesh AtidThe Jewish HomeYisrael BeiteinuHatnuah
6 May 2015 9 April 2019 2015 (20th) 34th LikudKulanuThe Jewish HomeShasUTJYisrael Beiteinu[11]
9 April 2019 17 May 2020 Apr 2019 (21st)
Sep 2019 (22nd)
(9) 17 May 2020 13 June 2021 2020 (23rd) 35th LikudBlue and WhiteShasUTJLaborDerekh Eretz[11]GesherThe Jewish Home
13 Naftali Bennett
(born 1972)
Yamina 13 June 2021 30 June 2022[10] 2021 (24th) 36th Yesh AtidBlue and WhiteYaminaLaborYisrael BeiteinuNew HopeMeretzUnited Arab List
14 Yair Lapid
(born 1963)
Yesh Atid 1 July 2022 29 December 2022
(9) Benjamin Netanyahu
(born 1949)
Likud 29 December 2022 Incumbent 2022 (25th) 37th LikudShasUTJReligious ZionismOtzma YehuditNoam

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 Until 1988, Likud was simply an electoral alliance between Herut and the Liberal Party, much like Alignment. A single united Likud party was only established in 1988.

5 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 continued as Prime Minister.

6 Rabin was assassinated while in office. Shimon Peres served as Acting Prime Minister until 22 November 1995.

7 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.

8 As the result of Ariel Sharon suffering a severe stroke on 4 January 2006, and being put under general anesthetic, 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]

9 Olmert officially resigned on 21 September 2008. With this, his cabinet became an interim government, and he was 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]

10 Under the coalition agreement establishing the thirty-sixth government of Israel, Naftali Bennett's tenure as Prime Minister concluded at the end of 30 June 2022 and Yair Lapid took office at the beginning of 1 July 2022.

11 The following parties were members of a government during only part of its term:

Term of office in years

  1. Benjamin Netanyahu: 17 years, 67 days as of 4 December 2024 (first term: 3 years and 18 days; second term: 12 years and 74 days; third term: 1 year, 341 days)
  2. David Ben-Gurion: 13 years and 127 days (first term: 5 years and 257 days; second term: 7 years and 235 days)
  3. Yitzhak Shamir: 6 years and 242 days (first term: 339 days; second term: 5 years and 268 days)
  4. Yitzhak Rabin: 6 years and 132 days (first term: 3 years and 18 days; second term: 3 years and 114 days)
  5. Menachem Begin: 6 years and 113 days
  6. Levi Eshkol: 5 years and 247 days
  7. Ariel Sharon: 5 years and 39 days[a]
  8. Golda Meir: 5 years and 19 days
  9. Ehud Olmert: 2 years and 351 days[b]
  10. Shimon Peres: 2 years and 264 days (first term: 2 years and 37 days; second term: 227 days)
  11. Moshe Sharett: 1 year and 281 days
  12. Ehud Barak: 1 year and 245 days
  13. Naftali Bennett: 1 year and 17 days
  14. Yair Lapid: 181 days
  15. Yigal Allon: 19 days (acting)
  1. ^ Includes a period of 100 days of "temporary incapacitation" wherein Sharon retained the title of Prime Minister, but the authorities of the office were delegated to the Designated Acting Prime Minister
  2. ^ Excludes a period of 100 days wherein Olmert was given the authority of the Prime Minister, in his capacity as the Acting Prime Minister, while the serving prime minister was "temporarily incapacitated"

Timeline

This is a graphical lifespan timeline of prime ministers of Israel. The prime ministers are listed in order of office, with prime ministers who held the office more than once listed in order of their first term.

Yair LapidNaftali BennettEhud OlmertAriel SharonEhud BarakBenjamin NetanyahuShimon PeresYitzhak ShamirMenachem BeginYitzhak RabinGolda MeirYigal AllonLevi EshkolMoshe SharettDavid Ben-Gurion

See also

References

  1. ^ Sixteenth Knesset: Government 30 Knesset, Governments of Israel
  2. ^ Basic Law: The Government (2001) Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 7 March 2001
  3. ^ Mazal Mualem, Shahar Ilan, Barak Ravid (21 September 2008). "Olmert formally submits his resignation to Peres". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 21 September 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2008.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)