List of Prime Ministers of Israel

This is a list of Prime Ministers of Israel since the establishment of that country in 1948.

Prime Ministers of Israel (1948–present)

Colour key
	Mapai/Alignment/Labor		Likud		Kadima

A total of twelve 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 Interim Prime Minister have gone on to become the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister					Elected (Knesset)		Government
No.	Name (Birth–Death)	Portrait	Political Party	Term			No.	Term		Political Parties
1	David Ben-Gurion דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן (1886–1973)		Mapai	14 May 1948 – 26 January 1954	—		Prov.	14 May 1948	10 March 1949	Mapai• Mapam• HHaM• New Aliyah• S&O• Mizrachi• Gen.Zionists• Agudat
					1949 (1st)		1st	10 March 1949	1 November 1950	Mapai• URF• Progressive• S&O• DLN
							2nd	1 November 1950	8 October 1951
					1951 (2nd)		3rd	8 October 1951	24 December 1952	Mapai• Mizrachi• HHaM-AY-PAY• DLIA-P&W-A&D
							4th	24 December 1952	26 January 1954	Mapai• Gen.Zionists• Progressive• Mizrachi• HHaM• DLIA-P&W-A&D
2	Moshe Sharett משֶׁה שָרֵת (1894–1965)		Mapai	26 January 1954 – 3 November 1955			5th	26 January 1954	29 June 1955
					6th	29 June 1955	3 November 1955	Mapai• Mizrachi• HHaM• DLIA-P&W-A&D
(1)	David Ben-Gurion דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן (1886–1973)		Mapai	3 November 1955 – 26 June 1963	1955 (3rd)		7th	3 November 1955	7 January 1958	Mapai• NRP• Mapam• AHaA• Progressive• DLIA-P&W-A&D• P&D-C&B^[9]
							8th	7 January 1958	17 December 1959
					1959 (4th)		9th	17 December 1959	2 November 1961
					1961 (5th)		10th	2 November 1961	26 June 1963	Mapai• NRP• AHaA• PAY• P&D-C&B
3	Levi Eshkol לֵוִי אֶשְׁכּוֹל (1895–1969)		Mapai	26 June 1963 – 26 February 1969^[2]			11th	26 June 1963	22 December 1964
					12th	22 December 1964	12 January 1966
			Alignment^[1] Mapai/Labor		1965 (6th)		13th	12 January 1966	17 March 1969	Alignment• NRP• Mapam• Indep.Liberals• PAY• P&D-C&B• Gahal^[9]• Rafi^[9]
—	Yigal Allon יִגְאָל אַלּוֹן (1918–1980) (interim)		Alignment Labor	(26 February 1969 – 17 March 1969)^[2]
4	Golda Meir גּוֹלְדָּה מֵאִיר (1898–1978)		Alignment Labor	17 March 1969 – 3 June 1974	14th	17 March 1969	15 December 1969
					1969 (7th)		15th	15 December 1969	10 March 1974	Alignment• Gahal^[9]• NRP• Indep.Liberals• P&D-C&B
					1973 (8th)		16th	10 March 1974	3 June 1974	Alignment• NRP• Indep.Liberals
5	Yitzhak Rabin יִצְחָק רַבִּין (1922–1995)		Alignment Labor	3 June 1974 – 20 June 1977^[3]	17th	3 June 1974	20 June 1977	Alignment• Indep.Liberals• Ratz^[9]• NRP^[9]
6	Menachem Begin מְנַחֵם בֵּגִין (1913–1992)		Likud	20 June 1977 – 10 October 1983	1977 (9th)		18th	20 June 1977	5 August 1981	Likud• NRP• Agudat• Dash^[9]
					1981 (10th)		19th	5 August 1981	10 October 1983	Likud• NRP• Agudat• Tami• Telem/MRSZ^[9]• Tehiya^[9]
7	Yitzhak Shamir יִצְחָק שָׁמִיר (1915–2012)		Likud	10 October 1983 – 13 September 1984	20th	10 October 1983	13 September 1984
8	Shimon Peres שִׁמְעוֹן פֶּרֶס (1923–)^[4]		Alignment Labor	13 September 1984 – 20 October 1986	1984 (11th)		21st	13 September 1984	20 October 1986	Alignment• Likud• NRP• Agudat• Shas• Morasha^[9]• Shinui• Ometz
(7)	Yitzhak Shamir יִצְחָק שָׁמִיר (1915–2012)^[4]		Likud	20 October 1986 – 13 July 1992	22nd	20 October 1986	22 December 1988
					1988 (12th)		23rd	22 December 1988	11 June 1990	Likud• Alignment• NRP• Shas• Agudat• Degel HaTorah
							24th	11 June 1990	13 July 1992	Likud• NRP• Shas• Agudat• Degel HaTorah• New Liberal• Tehiya• Tzomet• Moledet• UPI• Geulat
(5)	Yitzhak Rabin יִצְחָק רַבִּין (1922–1995)		Labor	13 July 1992 – 4 November 1995^[5]	1992 (13th)		25th	13 July 1992	22 November 1995	Labor• Meretz• Shas^[9]• Yiud^[9]
(8)	Shimon Peres שִׁמְעוֹן פֶּרֶס (1923–)		Labor	(4 November 1995)^[5] 22 November 1995 – 18 June 1996
					26th	22 November 1995	18 June 1996
9	Benjamin Netanyahu בִּנְיָמִין נְתַנְיָהוּ (1949–)		Likud	18 June 1996 – 6 July 1999	1996	14th	27th	18 June 1996	6 July 1999	Likud-Gesher-Tzomet• Shas• NRP• BaAliyah• UTJ• Third Way
10	Ehud Barak אֵהוּד בָּרָק (1942–)		One Israel Labor	6 July 1999 – 7 March 2001	1999	15th	28th	6 July 1999	7 March 2001	One Israel• Shas• Meretz• BaAliyah• Centre• NRP• UTJ^[9]
11	Ariel Sharon אֲרִיאֵל שָׁרוֹן (1928–2014)		Likud	7 March 2001 – (4 January 2006)^[7] 14 April 2006	2001	29th	7 March 2001	28 February 2003	Likud• Labor-Meimad^[9]• Shas^[9]• Centre• NRP• UTJ• BaAliyah• NU-Beiteinu• New Way• Gesher
					2003 (16th)		30th	28 February 2003	21 November 2005	Likud• Shinui^[9]• NU^[9]• NRP^[9]• Labor-Meimad• Agudat^[9]
			Kadima^[6]					21 November 2005	4 May 2006	Kadima• Likud^[9]• Agudat
12	Ehud Olmert אֵהוּד אוֹלְמֶרט (1945–)		Kadima	(4 January 2006)^[7] 14 April 2006 – 31 March 2009
					2006 (17th)		31st	4 May 2006	31 March 2009^[8]	Kadima• Labor• Shas• Gil• Beiteinu^[9]
(9)	Benjamin Netanyahu בִּנְיָמִין נְתַנְיָהוּ (1949–)		Likud	31 March 2009 – Incumbent	2009 (18th)		32nd	31 March 2009	18 March 2013	Likud• Beiteinu• Shas• Labor/Indep.^[9]• Jewish Home• UTJ^[9]
					2013 (19th)		33rd	18 March 2013	6 May 2015	Likud• Yesh Atid• The Jewish Home• Yisrael Beiteinu• Hatnuah
					2015 (20th)		34th	6 May 2015	Incumbent	Likud• Kulanu• The Jewish Home• Shas• UTJ

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.

Term of office in years

David Ben-Gurion: 13 years and 112 days (first term: 5 years and 258 days; second term: 7 years and 229 days) Benjamin Netanyahu: Incumbent - 10 years, 54 days as of 6 May 2016 (first term: 3 years and 18 days; second and current term: 7 years, 36 days) If Netanyahu is still Prime Minister on July 4, 2019, he will tie Ben-Gurion to become the longest serving Prime Minister in Israel's history. He will break that record for himself one day later on July 5, 2019. 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)

This is a graphical lifespan timeline of Prime Ministers of Israel. The prime ministers are listed in order of office.

See also

• Prime Minister of Israel
• List of Prime Ministers of Israel by longevity
• List of Presidents 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 The Associated Press (21 September 2008). "Olmert formally submits his resignation to Peres". Haaretz. Retrieved 21 September 2008.

External links

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