Famous Israeli Prime Ministers
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The Prime Minister of Israel is the executive head of the country – vested with much of the governing powers. As such, it makes this position highly coveted and prized. The President of Israel serves as the head of the state but his role is largely ceremonial. Prime Minister of Israel holds most of the real power and as such is often regarded as the most powerful figure of Israeli politics. Ever since the establishment of the office of the Prime Minister on May 14, 1948, Israel has had about twelve Prime Ministers, including the incumbent PM Benjamin Netanyahu who is currently serving his fourth term (since 2009) after his first spell from 1996 to 1999. Netanyahu has become the only prime minister in Israel's history to have been elected three times in a row. Furthermore, he is currently the second longest-serving Prime Minister in Israel's history after David Ben-Gurion. Interestingly, upon completion of his current term, he would become the longest-serving Prime Minister in the history of Israel. David Ben-Gurion served as the first prime minister of Israel. He resigned in 1954 only to reclaim his post a year later in 1955. Gurion’s second spell as a prime minister lasted for eight years until 1963. He was the first PM to head the country under the banner of two political parties. To know more about the premiers of Israel, their life and works, read through the following section.
Vote for Your Favourite Israeli Prime Ministers
1
Golda Meir(Former Prime Minister of Israel (1969 - 1974))
Birthdate: May 3, 1898
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Kyiv, Ukraine
Died: December 8, 1978
Born in present-day Ukraine and brought up in the United States, the phenomenal rise of Golda Meir to become the prime minister of Israel was driven by her sheer leadership qualities. She steered her country amid hostilities from its neighbourhood during her eventful term as premier which also saw the Yom Kippur War. She is remembered as a strong-willed woman.
Birthdate: October 21, 1949
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
The current Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in the history of Israel. Before becoming a politician, Netanyahu had a prolific military career; he played important roles in the Yom Kippur War and the War of Attrition and participated in missions, such as Operation Isotope and Operation Gift.
Birthdate: August 2, 1923
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Wiszniew, Poland
Died: September 28, 2016
Shimon Peres had been both the president and prime minister of Israel (twice). He was also part of five political parties in his 70-year career and had held important cabinet posts such as the minister of finance. He won the Nobel Peace Prize along with Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat.
Birthdate: October 16, 1886
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Płonsk, Poland
Died: December 1, 1973
David Ben-Gurion was the founder of the State of Israel and also served as Israel’s first prime minister. He was the leader of the Jews in British Mandate Palestine and had also been the country’s defense minister and the chairman of the Provisional State Council of Israel.
Birthdate: August 16, 1913
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Brest
Died: March 9, 1992
Menachem Begin was an Israeli politician who served as the sixth Prime Minister of Israel. In this position, he signed a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979, for which he and Egyptian politician Anwar Sadat shared the Nobel Prize for Peace. He implemented several reforms to improve the socio-economic condition of Israeli citizens and improve the general quality of life.
6
Naftali Bennett
(13th Prime Minister of Israel)
Birthdate: March 25, 1972
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Haifa, Israel
Birthdate: February 26, 1928
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: British Mandate of Palestine
Died: January 11, 2014
Ariel Sharon was the Israeli prime minister from 2001 to 2006. As a commander of the Israeli Army, he had participated in the Palestine War of 1948 and the 1967 Six-Day War. He was removed as the defense minister after he led the massacre of Palestinians in the Lebanon War.
8
Ehud Barak
(10th Prime Minister of Israel)
Birthdate: February 12, 1942
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Mishmar HaSharon kibbutz, Israel
Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak has also served as a minister of defense and foreign affairs. A talented pianist, he boasts of a degree from Stanford. Part of the Israeli Defense Forces since his younger days, he is one of the most decorated soldiers in the history of Israel.
Birthdate: October 22, 1915
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Ružany, Belarus
Died: June 30, 2012
Former Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Shamir previously led the Zionist group Lehi. He lost his parents and sisters to the Holocaust and later changed his last name from "Yezernitsky" to "Shamir," to match the surname on his forged ID card. He had also joined the Mossad later.
10
Moshe Sharett
(2nd Prime Minister of Israel)
Birthdate: October 15, 1894
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Kherson, Ukraine
Died: July 7, 1965
