Prime Minister of Israel

The prime minister of Israel (in Hebrew, ראש הממשלה‎ Rosh HaMemshalah, lit. Head of Government (Arabic: رئيس الحكومة‎ Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma) is the head of government of the State of Israel.

Description

Black Curtain hiding the entry into the residence of the Prime Minister of Israel

Israel is a parliamentary republic, so it has both a head of state, the president of Israel, who holds largely ceremonial powers (except for a few), and a head of government, the prime minister, who holds the executive power. The prime minister's official residence, Beit Aghion, is in Jerusalem.

After an election, the president nominates a member of the Knesset to become prime minister after asking party leaders who they support for the position. The nominee has 42 days to form a viable coalition. He then presents a government platform and must receive a vote of confidence from the Knesset to become prime minister. The Knesset's vote of confidence is received by obtaining a relative majority in the assembly.

In practice, the prime minister is usually the leader of the largest party in the ruling coalition. Elections for the Knesset are held every 4 years, so that is the maximum term for a prime minister without a re-election election. However, few Israeli governments have managed to complete the four legislature years that they should. Between 1996 and 2001, the prime minister was directly elected, separate from the Knesset.

Unlike most prime ministers of parliamentary republics, the prime minister is both de jure and de facto chief executive. This is because Israel's Basic Laws explicitly vest executive power in the government, of which the Prime Minister is the leader.

The current prime minister is Benjamin Netanyahu, being the longest serving president and with the most governments formed. The first to hold the position was David Ben-Gurion, leader of the Mapai, a center-left party that was the predecessor of the current HaAvodah. The only woman to lead the Israeli government was Labor Golda Meir.

List of Prime Ministers of Israel

N.o	Portrait	Name	Political party (Electoral Coalition)	Term in office		Election (Knesset)		Government
								N.o	Membership
1		David Ben-Gurion מווווווווווווווורווווווווווווה- (1886-1973)	Mapi	14 May 1948	10 March 1949	-		Provisional	Mapi • Mapm • Hapoel HaMizrachi • New Alia • S blind • Mizrachi • General Zionists • Agudat Yisrael
				10 March 1949	1 November 1950	1949 (1°)		1	Mapi • United Religious Front • Progressive • S ignoreO • Democratic List of Nazareth
				1 November 1950	8 October 1951			2°
				8 October 1951	24 December 1952	1951 (2°)		3°	Mapi • Mizrachi • Hapoel HaMizrachi-Agudat Yisrael-Poalei Agudat Yisrael • Democratic List for Israeli Arabs • Agriculture and Development
				24 December 1952	26 January 1954			4°	Mapi • General Zionists • Progressive • Mizrachi • Hapoel HaMizrachi • Democratic List for Israeli Arabs-Work and Progress-Agriculture and Development
2		Moshe Sharett أ م ع و م ع و م ع و م و م و م و م و م و م و م م و م ا و م و م و م و م و م م و م و م و ا و م م م م و و م و و و و م م ا و ا و م م م و و م م م و و م م م م م م م م م و م و و و م م و و و م و و و و م م و و م و و م م و م و م ما م و م و م م م ا ا م م و و و و و (1894-1965)	Mapi	26 January 1954	29 June 1955			5°
				29 June 1955	3 November 1955			6°	Mapi • Mizrachi • Hapoel HaMizrachi• Democratic List for Israeli Arabs-Work and Progress-Agriculture and Development
(1)		David Ben-Gurion מווווווווווווווורווווווווווווה- (1886-1973)	Mapi	3 November 1955	7 January 1958	1955 (3rd)		7°	Mapi • Mafdal • Mapm • Ahdut HaAvodá • Progressive Party • Democratic List for the Israeli Arabs-Work and Progress-Agriculture and Development • Progress and Development-Cooperation and Brotherhood
				7 January 1958	17 December 1959			8°
				17 December 1959	2 November 1961	1959 (4th)		9°
				2 November 1961	26 June 1963	1961 (5°)		10°	Mapi • Mafdal • Ahdut HaAvodá • Poalei Agudat Yisrael • Progress and Development-Cooperation and Brotherhood
3		Levi Eshkol ה ה ה ה (1895-1969)	Mapi	26 June 1963	22 December 1964			11°
				22 December 1964	12 January 1966			12°
			Mapi Labour alignment	12 January 1966	23 January 1968	1965 (6th)		13°	Alignment • Mafdal • Mapm • Independent Liberals • Poalei Agudat Yisrael • Progress and Development-Cooperation and Brotherhood • Gahal• Rafi
			HaAvodá	23 January 1968	28 January 1969
			Alignment HaAvodá	28 January 1969	26 February 1969
-		Yigal Allon сأعربية من معانانامنانامن (1918-1980)	HaAvodá Alignment	26 February 1969	17 March 1969
4		Golda Meir ↓ ה ה ה (1898-1978)	HaAvodá Alignment	17 March 1969	15 December 1969			14th
				15 December 1969	10 March 1974	1969 (7th)		15°	Alignment • Gahal • Mafdal • Independent Liberals • Progress and Development-Cooperation and Brotherhood
				10 March 1974	3 June 1974	1973 (8°)		16°	Alignment • Mafdal • Independent Liberals
5		Isaac Rabin сторики станики стастаники (1922-1995)	HaAvodá Alignment	3 June 1974	22 April 1977			17°	Alignment • Independent Liberals • Ratz • Mafdal
-		Shimon Peres أعربية Русский أعربية (1923-2016)	HaAvodá Alignment	22 April 1977	20 June 1977
6		Menájem Beguin أعربي ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه ه (1913-1992)	Likud	20 June 1977	5 August 1981	1977 (9th)		18°	Likud • Mafdal • Agudat Yisrael • Dash
				5 August 1981	10 October 1983	1981 (10th)		19°	Likud • Mafdal • Agudat Yisrael • Tami • Telem-Movement of the Renewal of Socialist Zionism • Tehiya
7		Yitzhak Shamir ה ה ה ה (1915-2012)	Likud	10 October 1983	13 September 1984			20°
8		Shimon Peres أعربية Русский أعربية (1923-2016)	HaAvodá Alignment	13 September 1984	20 October 1986	1984 (11th)		21°	Alignment • Likud • Mafdal • Agudat Yisrael • Shas • Morasha • Shinui • Ometz
(7)		Yitzhak Shamir ה ה ה ה (1915-2012)	Likud	20 October 1986	22 December 1988			22nd
				22 December 1988	11 June 1990	1988 (12th)		23°	Likud • Alignment • Mafdal • Shas • Agudat Yisrael • Degel HaTorah
				11 June 1990	13 July 1992			24°	Likud • Mafdal • Shas • Agudat Yisrael • Degel HaTorah • New Liberal Party • Tehiya • Tzomet • Moledet • Peace and Integration Unit • Geula
(5)		Isaac Rabin сторики станики стастаники (1922-1995)	HaAvodá	13 July 1992	4 November 1995	1992 (13th)		25°	HaAvoda • Meretz • Shas • Yiud
-		Shimon Peres أعربية Русский أعربية (1923-2016)	HaAvodá	4 November 1995	22 November 1995			26°
(8)				22 November 1995	18 June 1996
9		Benjamin Netanyahu لون من و من و منانامنانان (1949-)	Likud	18 June 1996	6 July 1999	1996 (14th)		27°	Likud-Gesher-Tzomet • Shas • Mafdal • Yisrael BaAliyah • Yahadut HaTorah • Third Way
10		Ehud Barak מווה ה (1942-)	Israel HaAvodá	6 July 1999	7 March 2001	1999	(15°)	28°	Israel • Shas • Meretz • Yisrael BaAliyah • Center Party • Mafdal • Yahadut HaTorah
11		Ariel Sharon أعربي أع أع من منان (1928-2014)	Likud	7 March 2001	28 February 2003	2001		29°	Likud • HaAvodá-Meimad • Shas • Center Party • Mafdal • Yahadut HaTorah • Yisrael BaAliyah • National Union-Yisrael Beitenu • New Way • Gesher
				28 February 2003	21 November 2005	2003 (16th)		30°	Likud • Shinui • National Union • Mafdal • HaAvodá-Meimad • Agudat Yisrael
			Kadima	21 November 2005	14 April 2006				Kadima • Likud • Agudat Yisrael
-		Ehud Olmert מוווה אוהמהרהט (1945-)	Kadima	4 January 2006	14 April 2006
12				14 April 2006	4 May 2006
				4 May 2006	31 March 2009	2006 (17th)		31°	Kadima • HaAvoda • Shas • Gil • Yisrael Beitenu
(9)		Benjamin Netanyahu لون من و من و منانامنانان (1949-)	Likud	31 March 2009	18 March 2013	2009 (18th)		32°	Likud • Yisrael Beitenu • Shas • HaAvoda(Independent) • HaBayit HaYehudi • Yahadut HaTorah
				18 March 2013	6 May 2015	2013 (19°)		33°	Likud • Yesh Atid • HaBayit HaYehudi • Yisrael Beitenu • Hatnuah
				6 May 2015	April 9, 2019	2015 (20°)		34°	Likud • HaBayit HaYehudi • Shas • Yahadut HaTorah • Yisrael Beitenuuntil 18 November 2018)
-				April 9, 2019	17 September 2019	April 2019 (21°)
				17 September 2019	17 May 2020	September 2019 (22°)
(9)				17 May 2020	13 June 2021	2020 (23°)		35°	Likud • Kajol Lavan • Shas • Yahadut HaTorah • HaAvodá/(Independent) • Derekh Eretz • Gesher • HaBayit HaYehudi
13		Naftali Bennett מווווווה ل أن (1972-)	Yamina	13 June 2021	1 July 2022	2021 (24°)		36°	Yesh Atid • Kajol Lavan • Yamina • HaAvoda • Yisrael Beitenu • Tikva Jadashá • Meretz • Ra'am
14		Yair Lapid ה ה (1963-)	Yesh Atid	1 July 2022	29 December 2022
(9)		Benjamin Netanyahu لون من و من و منانامنانان (1949-)	Likud	29 December 2022	Position	2022 (25°)		Thirty-seventh	Likud • Shas • Yahadut HaTorah • Religious Zionist Party • Otzma Yehudit • Noam

Timeline

List of presidents by tenure in office

1. Benjamin Netanyahu: 15 years and 91 days (in two non-consecutive periods of 3 years and 18 days and 12 years and 73 days, plus one current third)
2. David Ben-Gurion: 13 years and 112 days (in two non-consecutive periods of 5 years and 258 days and 7 years and 229 days)
3. Yitzhak Shamir: 6 years and 242 days (in two non-consecutive periods of 339 days and 5 years and 268 days)
4. Yitzhak Rabin: 6 years and 132 days (in two non-consecutive periods of 3 years and 18 days and 3 years and 114 days)
5. Menachem Begin: 6 years and 113 days (in two consecutive periods)
6. Levi Eshkol: 5 years and 247 days
7. Ariel Sharon: 5 years and 39 days (including 100 days in the period for 'temporary inability')
8. Golda Meir: 5 years and 19 days
9. Shimon Peres: 3 years and 67 days (in three non-consecutive periods of 59 days, 2 years and 37 days and 227 days)
10. Ehud Olmert: 2 years and 351 days
11. Moshe Sharett: 1 year and 281 days
12. Ehud Barak: 1 year and 245 days
13. Naftali Bennett: 1 year and 18 days
14. Yair Lapid: 5 months and 28 days
15. Yigal Allon: 19 days