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.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the 9th and current Prime Minister of Israel

Prime ministers of Israel (1948–present)

Fourteen 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.

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.	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	7 December 1953			4th	Mapai • Gen.Zionists • Progressive • Mizrachi • HHaM • DLIA-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	Mapai • Mizrachi • HHaM • DLIA-P&W-A&D
(1)	David Ben-Gurion (1886–1973)		Mapai	3 November 1955	7 January 1958	1955 (3rd)		7th	Mapai • NRP • Mapam • AHaA • Progressives • DLIA-P&W-A&D • P&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	Mapai • NRP • AHaA • PAY • P&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	Alignment • NRP • Mapam • Indep.Liberals • PAY • P&D-C&B • Gahal[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	Alignment • Gahal[11] • NRP • Indep.Liberals • P&D-C&B
				10 March 1974	3 June 1974	1973 (8th)		16th	Alignment • NRP • Indep.Liberals
5	Yitzhak Rabin (1922–1995)		Alignment Labor	3 June 1974	20 June 1977[3]			17th	Alignment • Indep.Liberals • Ratz[11] • NRP[11]
6	Menachem Begin (1913–1992)		Herut Likud[4]	20 June 1977	5 August 1981	1977 (9th)		18th	Likud • NRP • Aguda • Dash[11]
				5 August 1981	10 October 1983	1981 (10th)		19th	Likud • NRP • Aguda • Tami • Telem/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	Alignment • Likud • NRP • Aguda • Shas • Morasha[11] • Shinui • Ometz
(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	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 (1922–1995)		Labor	13 July 1992	4 November 1995[6]	1992 (13th)		25th	Labor • Meretz • Shas[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-Tzomet • Shas • NRP • BaAliyah • UTJ • Third Way
10	Ehud Barak (born 1942)		One Israel Labor	6 July 1999	7 March 2001	1999	(15th)	28th	One Israel • Shas • Meretz • BaAliyah • Centre • NRP • UTJ[11]
11	Ariel Sharon (1928–2014)		Likud	7 March 2001	28 February 2003	2001		29th	Likud • Labor-Meimad[11] • Shas[11] • Centre • NRP • UTJ • BaAliyah • NU-Beiteinu • New Way • Gesher
				28 February 2003	21 November 2005[7]	2003 (16th)		30th	Likud • Shinui[11] • NU[11] • NRP[11] • Labor-Meimad • Aguda[11]
			Kadima	21 November 2005[7]	(4 January 2006)[8] 14 April 2006				Kadima • Likud[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	Kadima • Labor • Shas • Gil • Beiteinu[11]
(9)	Benjamin Netanyahu (born 1949)		Likud	31 March 2009	18 March 2013	2009 (18th)		32nd	Likud • Beiteinu • Shas • Labor/Indep.[11] • Jewish Home • UTJ[11]
				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[11]
—				9 April 2019	17 May 2020	Apr 2019 (21st)
						Sep 2019 (22nd)
(9)				17 May 2020	13 June 2021	2020 (23rd)		35th	Likud • Blue and White • Shas • UTJ • Labor • Derekh Eretz[11] • Gesher • The Jewish Home
13	Naftali Bennett (born 1972)		Yamina	13 June 2021	30 June 2022[10]	2021 (24th)		36th	Yesh Atid • Blue and White • Yamina • Labor • Yisrael Beiteinu • New Hope • Meretz • United 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	Likud • Shas • UTJ • Religious Zionism • Otzma Yehudit • Noam

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:

• 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

1. Benjamin Netanyahu: 17 years, 42 days as of 9 November 2024 (first term: 3 years and 18 days; second term: 12 years and 74 days; third term: 1 year, 316 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.

See also

• List of Jewish leaders in the Land of Israel
• List of presidents of Israel
• List of prime ministers of Israel by place of birth
• Prime Minister of Israel

References

1. 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, Haaretz Correspondents, and Associated Press (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}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

• The PM's Who Shaped Israel – slideshow by The First Post