Israel’s 24 Knesset elections and three direct elections for prime minister have resulted in 13 different people serving as prime minister, in addition to one person, Yigal Allon, who served only on an interim basis.
Israel’s Prime Ministers
Click on a prime minister’s name for more information.
David Ben-Gurion was Israel’s first prime minister and long held the record for most time in the position. (Hans Pinn, Israeli National Photo Collection)
David Ben-Gurion, 1948-1954 and 1955-1963
Moshe Sharett was Ben-Gurion’s successor and predecessor. (Hans Pinn, Israeli National Photo Collection)
Moshe Sharett, 1954-1955
Levi Eshkol, shown after Israel’s victory in the June 1967 war, was the only prime minister to die in office. (Israeli National Photo Collection)
Levi Eshkol, 1963-1969
Yigal Allon (right) served as interim prime minister for a month after Eshkol’s death, then gave way to Golda Meir at the head of the government. (Moshe Milner, Israeli National Photo Collection)
Yigal Allon, 1969 (interim after Eshkol’s death)
Golda Meir, 1969-1974
Yitzhak Rabin never led his party in a Knesset election as the prime minister. (Moshe Milner, Israeli National Photo Collection)
Yitzhak Rabin, 1974-1977, 1992-1995
Menachem Begin ended three decades of governments led by Mapai and its left-wing successors. (Ya’acov Sa’ar, Israeli National Photo Collection)
Menachem Begin, 1977-1983
Yitzhak Shamir, 1983-1984, 1986-1992
Shimon Peres (left) and Yitzhak Shamir formed a national unity government in which they took turns as prime minister in the mid-1980s. (Nati Harnik, Israeli National Photo Collection)
Shimon Peres, 1984-1986, 1995-1996
Benjamin Netanyahu broke Ben-Gurion’s record the longest time serving as prime minister. (Moshe Milner, Israeli National Photo Collection)
Benjamin Netanyahu, 1996-1999, 2009-2021, 2022-present
Ehud Barak won the second-ever direct election for prime minister, then lost the third and so far last. (Moshe Milner, Israeli National Photo Collection)
Ehud Barak, 1999-2001
Ariel Sharon’s term ended prematurely when he slipped into a coma after a massive stroke in January 2006. (Avi Ohayon, Israeli National Photo Collection)
Ariel Sharon, 2001-2006
Ehud Olmert gained the premiership on an interim basis after Sharon fell into a coma, gained the position in his own right, then resigned amid corruption allegations. (Amos Ben Gershom, Israeli National Photo Collection)
Ehud Olmert, 2006-2009
No prime minister has led a smaller Knesset party than Naftali Bennett, whose Yamina won seven seats in the March 2021 election. (Avi Ohayon, Israeli Government Press Office)
Naftali Bennett, 2021-2022
The November 2022 election could result in Yair Lapid having the shortest term of any prime minister after he took office July 2. (Haim Zach, Israeli Government Press Office)
Yair Lapid, 2022
Israel’s Election History
Click on the Knesset number for a brief summary of that election. Click on the election date for full results from the Knesset website.
First Knesset — Jan. 25, 1949, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion of Mapai (46 seats)
Second Knesset — July 30, 1951, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion of Mapai (45 seats)
Third Knesset — July 26, 1955, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion of Mapai (40 seats)
Fourth Knesset — Nov. 3, 1959, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion of Mapai (47 seats)
Fifth Knesset — Aug. 15, 1961, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion of Mapai (42 seats)
Sixth Knesset —Nov. 2, 1965, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol of Alignment (45 seats)
Seventh Knesset — Oct. 28, 1969, Prime Minister Golda Meir of Alignment (56 seats)
Eighth Knesset —Dec. 31, 1973, Prime Minister Golda Meir of Alignment (51 seats)
Ninth Knesset — May 17, 1977, Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Likud (43 seats)
10th Knesset — June 30, 1981, Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Likud (48 seats)
11th Knesset — July 23, 1984, Prime Minister Shimon Peres of Alignment (44 seats) and Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir of Likud (41 seats) in a unity government rotating the premiership after two years
12th Knesset — Nov. 1, 1988, Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir of Likud (40 seats)
13th Knesset — June 23, 1992, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin of Labor (44 seats)
14th Knesset — May 29, 1996, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (winner of a direct election) of Likud (32 seats, second to Labor’s 34)
15th Knesset — May 17, 1999, Prime Minister Ehud Barak (winner of a direct election) of One Israel (26 seats)
16th Knesset — Jan. 28, 2003, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (originally winner of a direct election in 2001) of Likud (38 seats)
17th Knesset — March 28, 2006, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Kadima (29 seats)
18th Knesset — Feb. 10, 2009, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud-Ahi (27 seats, second to Kadima’s 28)
19th Knesset —Jan. 22, 2013, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu (31 seats)
20th Knesset — March 17, 2015, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud (30 seats)
21st Knesset — April 9, 2019, no government formed (Likud, 35 seats, and Blue and White, 35 seats)
22nd Knesset — Sept. 17, 2019, no government formed (Blue and White, 33 seats, and Likud, 32 seats)
23nd Knesset — March 2, 2020, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud (36 seats) in a unity government with Benny Gantz of Blue and White (33), with an agreement to rotate the premiership after two years
24th Knesset — March 23, 2021, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of Yamina (7 seats) in a rotation agreement with Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid (17), who becomes prime minister in mid-2022 after the coalition breaks up.
25th Knesset — November 1, 2022, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud (32 seats)