Prime Minister of Israel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Prime Minister of Israel (Hebrew: ראש הממשלה, Rosh HaMemshala, lit. Head of Government1) is the elected head of the Israeli government. He or she is usually the leader of the largest political party or coalition of parties in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament.
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Historical background
At its founding, the State of Israel adopted a British-inspired parliamentary system, with a Prime Minister as the most powerful political leader of the government and a largely ceremonial President of Israel as head of state. According to the original Basic Law, following elections to the Knesset, the President assigns the task of forming a Government to a member of Knesset (conventionally the leader of the party that has won a plurality of Knesset seats), and this individual becomes Prime Minister after having successfully formed a Government that has the support of 61 members (a majority) in the Knesset. Occasionally, the title of "Premier" is used when referring to the Prime Minister.
The Basic Law was amended in 1992, providing for the direct election of the Prime Minister, separate from the Knesset election. Three elections were held under this system: 1996, 1999, and 2001. (2001 was the only time that a Prime Ministerial election was held without a Knesset election. Thus, from 2001-2003 Ariel Sharon (Likud) was Prime Minister while Labour held a plurality of Knesset seats.) In 2001, the Basic Law was amended again, abolishing direct elections and reverting to the original system. Thus, in 2003 and subsequent elections, the Prime Minister is chosen as the head of the largest party in the Knesset.
Order of Succession
Following the "significant" stroke suffered by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in January 2006, a decision was reached by the Israeli Cabinet, under the advice of the Attorney General of Israel: if the Prime Minister becomes incapable of making decisions, power is transferred to the Deputy Prime Minister — at the time, Ehud Olmert — who then becomes Acting Prime Minister until the Prime Minister recovers. If the Prime Minister is declared permanently incapacitated then the Acting Prime Minister remains in office for 100 days. Once that period expires the President of Israel oversees the process of assembling a new governing coalition. If the Prime Minister dies, the Cabinet chooses a new Prime Minister[1]. Ariel Sharon has not yet been declared permanently incapacitated. Elections are already due to occur within 100 days of the beginning of his coma.
Officeholders
A total of eleven people have served as Prime Minister of Israel. Four of those people have served on two non-consecutive occasions.
| Name | Took office | Left office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | David Ben-Gurion | 1948 | 1953 | Mapai |
| 2. | Moshe Sharett | 1953 | 1955 | Mapai |
| David Ben-Gurion | 1955 | 1963 | Mapai | |
| 3. | Levi Eshkol | 1963 | 19696 | Mapai1 |
| Yigal Allon (Acting) | 1969 | 1969 | Mapai1 | |
| 4. | Golda Meir | 1969 | 1974 | Labour |
| 5. | Yitzhak Rabin | 1974 | 1977 | Labour |
| Shimon Peres (Acting) | 1977 | 1977 | Labour | |
| 6. | Menachem Begin | 1977 | 1983 | Likud |
| 7. | Yitzhak Shamir | 1983 | 1984 | Likud |
| 8. | Shimon Peres2 | 1984 | 1986 | Labour |
| Yitzhak Shamir2 | 1986 | 1992 | Likud | |
| Yitzhak Rabin3 | 1992 | 19956 | Labour | |
| Shimon Peres | 1995 | 1996 | Labour | |
| 9. | Benjamin Netanyahu | 1996 | 1999 | Likud |
| 10. | Ehud Barak | 1999 | 2001 | Labour |
| 11. | Ariel Sharon | 2001 | 20054 | Likud4 |
| Ariel Sharon (cont'd) | 2005 | Incumbent | Kadima4 | |
| * | Ehud Olmert (Acting)5 | 2006 | Kadima |
1 In 1968 Mapai merged with other parties to form the Labour Alignment (now known as Labour).
2 After the election of 1984, the Likud and Labour parties reached a coalition agreement by which the role of prime minister would be rotated mid-term between them. Shimon Peres of Labour served during the first two years as prime minister, and then the role was passed to Yitzhak Shamir. After the 1988 election Likud was able to govern without the Labour party, and Yitzhak Shamir became prime minister again.
3 PM Rabin was assassinated while in office.
4 On 21 November 2005, PM 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, that will compete in the upcoming elections. Elections are tentatively scheduled for March 2006. Until then Sharon continues as Prime Minister without a parliamentary majority, following Labour's resignation from the Unity government.
5 As the result of Ariel Sharon suffering a severe stroke on January 4, 2006, and being put under general anesthetic, Ehud Olmert became the Acting Prime Minister pending an outcome to Sharon's health crisis.
6 Died while in office.
See also
- Politics of Israel
- Basic Laws of Israel
- President of Israel
- Knesset
- List of Knesset members
- List of Knesset speakers
- List of Likud Knesset Members
- List of political parties in Israel
- Israeli Security Forces
Footnotes
- Note 1: The Hebrew words ראש הממשלה Rosh HaMemshala can refer also to prime ministers of other states besides Israel, for example, the prime minister of Britain can be called in Hebrew ראש ממשלת בריטניה Rosh Memshelet Britanya or ראש הממשלה של בריטניה Rosh HaMemshala Shel Britanya.
