Short Summary of the 20 Knesset Terms & 34 Governments

Includes the Phase 1-2-3 results and coalition government majority numbers throughout the term. You can read more about the Phase 1-2-3 System here: 

 

Provisional State Council:

May 14, 1948 – February 14, 1949

Prime Minister: David Ben Gurion

No Phase System.

 

1st Knesset:

February 14, 1949 – August 20, 1951

Prime Minister: David Ben Gurion (Mapai)

Phase 1: Mapai wins with 46 seats.

Phase 2: Ben Gurion is nominated by 73 MKs.

Phase 3: 1st Government is confirmed by 73 MKs.

1st Government Term: 10 March 1949 – 30 October 1950

Ben Gurion resigned on 15 October 1950 to form a new government. The 1st government remained for 16 days until the 2nd government was formed.

2nd Government Formed: 1 November 1950 – 8 October 1951

Ben Gurion’s first attempt at forming the 2nd government failed when only 52 MKs supported his government. His second attempt produced the same 73 MK coalition as the 1st Government. The 2nd Government eventually fell causing early elections.

 

2nd Knesset:

August 20, 1951 – August 15, 1955

Prime Ministers: David Ben Gurion (Mapai) & Moshe Sharet (Mapai)

Phase 1: Mapai wins with 45 seats.

Phase 2: Ben Gurion is nominated by 65 MKs.

Phase 3: 3rd Government is confirmed by 65 MKs.

3rd Government Term: 8 October 1951 – 24 December 1952

On 23 September 1952 the Haredi parties left the 3rd Government and the coalition dropped to 60 seats. Ben Gurion resigned on 19 December 1952 to form the fourth government.

4th Government Formed: 24 December 1952 – 26 January 1954

Ben Gurion formed a larger coalition of 87 MKs. The General Zionists left the coalition briefly from 26 May – 2 June 1953 bringing the coalition down to 64 MKs, but the party returned for the remainder of the Government term. The government fell when Ben Gurion announced on 6 December 1953 that he was retiring to the Negev. Moshe Sharet won an internal Mapai party power struggle with Levi Eshkol and formed the 5th Government.

Ben Gurion Retires – Replaced by Sharet

Phase 2: Sharet is nominated by 89 MKs.

Phase 3: 5th Government is confirmed by 89 MKs.

5th Government Formed: 26 January 1954 – 29 June 1955

Sharet resigned on 29 June 1955 to form the 6th Government.

6th Government Formed: 29 June 1955 – 3 November 1955

Sharet formed a smaller coalition of 66 MKs. The 6th Government remained in place until elections were held for the 3rd Knesset.

 

3rd Knesset:

August 15, 1955 – November 30, 1959

Prime Minister: David Ben Gurion (Mapai)

Phase 1: Mapai wins with 40 seats.

Phase 2: Ben Gurion is nominated by 80 MKs.

Phase 3: 7th Government is confirmed by 80 MKs.

7th Government Formed: 3 November 1955 – 7 January 1958

Ben Gurion resigned on 31 December 1957 to form the 8th Government.

8th Government Term: 7 January 1958 – 17 December 1959

Ben Gurion formed another coalition with 80 MKs. He resigned on 5 July 1959 and the government acted as a caretaker government until elections were held for the 4th Knesset.

 

4th Knesset

November 30, 1959 – September 04, 1961

Prime Minister: David Ben Gurion (Mapai)

Phase 1: Mapai wins with 47 seats.

Phase 2: Ben Gurion is nominated by 86 MKs.

Phase 3: 9th Government is confirmed by 86 MKs.

9th Government Formed: 17 December 1959 – 2 November 1961

Ben Gurion’s coalition grew from 86 to 89 MKs when one of the Haredi parties joined the coalition on 19 July 1960. Ben Gurion resigned on 31 January 1961 and the 9th Government acted as a caretaker government until early elections were held for the 5th Knesset.

 

5th Knesset

September 04, 1961– November 22, 1965

Prime Minister: David Ben Gurion (Mapai) & Levi Eshkol (Mapai)

Phase 1: Mapai wins with 42 seats.

Phase 2: Ben Gurion is nominated by 68 MKs.

Phase 3: 10th Government is confirmed by 68 MKs.

10th Government Formed: 2 November 1961 – 26 June 1963

Ben Gurion failed to form a government and returned his mandate to the President. Eshkol received the mandate and formed the government with Ben Gurion as Prime Minister. Ben Gurion resigned on 16 June 1963 and retired for a second time from politics.

Ben Gurion Retires – Replaced by Eshkol

Phase 2: Eshkol is nominated by 68 MKs.

Phase 3: 11th Government is confirmed by 68 MKs.

11th Government Term: 26 June 1963 – 22 December 1964

Eshkol carried on with the same 68 MK coalition that existed in the 10th Government. Eshkol resigned on 15 December 1964 to form a new government.

12th Government Term: 22 December 1964 – 12 January 1966

Eshkol formed a coalition of 67 MKs that lasted for the remainder of the 5th Knesset.

 

6th Knesset

November 22, 1965 – November 17, 1969

Prime Minister: Levi Eshkol (Alignment), Yigal Alon (Alignment) & Golda Meir (Alignment)

Phase 1: Alignment wins with 45 seats.

Phase 2: Eshkol is nominated by 75 MKs.

Phase 3: 13th Government is confirmed by 75 MKs.

13th Government Formed: 12 January 1966 – 17 March 1969

Eshkol’s coalition grew from 75 to 85 when Gachal joined the 13th Government on 1 June 1967 (ahead of the 6-Day-War). By 5 June 1967 the 13th Government had a coalition of 111 of the 120 MKs. This was the largest coalition in Israeli history. By the start of 1969 the Alignment had grown to 63 MKs. Eshkol died in office on 2 February 1969. Deputy Prime Minister Yigal Alon served as Interim Prime Minister for the 19 days until the 14th Government was formed. Meir emerged from the internal party struggle to lead the Alignment which automatically gave her a majority of 63 MKs before she formed her coalition.

Eshkol dies in office – Alon serves in interim – Meir takes over

Phase 2: Meir was nominated by 104 MKs.

Phase 3: 14th Government was confirmed by 104 MKs.

14th Government Term: 17 March 1969 – 15 December 1969

Meir’s 14th Government of 104 MKs was smaller than the outgoing 111 MK coalition of the 13th Government. The 14th Government remained in place for the remainder of the 6th Knesset.

 

7th Knesset

November 17, 1969 – January 21, 1974

Prime Minister: Golda Meir (Alignment)

Phase 1: Alignment wins with 56 seats.

Phase 2: Meir is nominated by 102 MKs.

Phase 3: 15th Government is confirmed by 102 MKs.

15th Government Formed:  15 December 1969 – 10 March 1974

Meir’s 15th Government of 102 MKs was smaller than her outgoing 104 MK coalition of the 14th Government. The 15th Government dropped to 76 MKs when Gachal left the coalition on 6 August 1970. The Government and Knesset extended its term due to Yom Kippur War.

 

8th Knesset

January 21, 1974 – June 13, 1977

Prime Minister: Golda Meir (Alignment) & Yitzhak Rabin (Alignment)

Phase 1: Alignment wins with 51 seats.

Phase 2: Meir is nominated by 68 MKs.

Phase 3: 16th Government is confirmed by 68 MKs.

16th Government Formed:  10 March 1974 – 3 June 1974

Meir resigned on 11 April 1974 making the 16th Government the shortest-lived Government in Israeli history. Rabin defeated Peres 298-254 in the Central Committee to replace Meir as the Party Chair.

Meir retires – Replaced by Rabin

Phase 2: Rabin is nominated by 61 MKs.

Phase 3: 17th Government is confirmed by 61 MKs.

17th Government Term: 3 June 1974 – 20 June 1977

Rabin formed a narrow 61 MKs coalition, the first of its kind. The National Religious Party joined the coalition on 29 October 1974 and increased the coalition to 71 MKs. Ratz left the coalition on 6 November 1974 and the coalition dropped to 68 MKs. After the National Religious Party left the coalition on 22 December 1977 Rabin’s Government was a minority Government of 58 MKs, the first of its kind, and served as a caretaker Government until the end of the term.

 

9th Knesset

June 13, 1977 – July 20, 1981

Prime Minister: Menachem Begin (Likud)

Phase 1: Likud wins with 43 seats.

Phase 2: Begin is nominated by 62 MKs.

Phase 3: 18th Government is confirmed by 62 MKs.

18th Government Formed:  20 June 1977 – 5 August 1981

Begin’s coalition grew from 62 to 77 when Dash joined the government on 24 October 1977. On 14 September 1978 the coalition dropped to 69. On 23 October 1979 the coalition dropped to 68. On 10 March 1981 the coalition returned to 62 MKs for the remainder of the term. Early elections were called by the Knesset.

 

10th Knesset

July 20, 1981 – August 13, 1984

Prime Minister: Menachem Begin (Likud) and Yitzhak Shamir (Likud)

Phase 1: Likud wins with 48 seats.

Phase 2: Begin is nominated by 61 MKs.

Phase 3: 19th Government is confirmed by 61 MKs.

19th Government Formed:  5 August 1981 – 28 August 1983

Begin’s coalition grew from 61 to 63 with the addition of Telem on 5 July 1982. On 26 July 1982 the coalition grew to 65 MKs. The coalition dropped to 64 MKs on 6 June 1983 until the end of the 19th Government. Begin resigned on 28 August 1983. Labor had grown to 50 MKs compared to Likud which had dropped to 46 MKs. On 1 September Shamir defeated David Levy and became Likud Chair. Despite Labor being the larger party, President Chaim Herzog who was from the Alignment was forced to give the mandate to Shamir first because he secured 64 MK Phase 2 nominations.

Begin retires – Replaced by Shamir

Phase 2: Shamir is nominated by 64 MKs.

Phase 3: 20th Government confirmed by 62 MKs.

20th Government Term: 10 October 1983 – 13 September 1984

Shamir was the first Prime Minister to serve when his party was not the largest in the Knesset. Shamir’s Government was also the first Government to have a drop off between the number of MKs who nominated him in Phase 2 and the confirmation of the Government in Phase 3. Shamir’s Government dropped from 62 to 61 MKs on 31 January 1984. The Knesset called for early elections.

 

11th Knesset

August 13, 1984 – November 21, 1988

Prime Minister: Shimon Peres (Alignment) and Yitzhak Shamir (Likud)

Phase 1: Alignment wins with 44 MKs.

Phase 2: Peres nominated by 54 MKs.

Rotation Government Agreement with Peres & Shamir is nominated by 97 MKs.

Phase 3: 21st Government is confirmed by 97 MKs.

21st Government Formed: 13 September 1984 – 20 October 1986

For the first time no party received 61 Phase 2 nominations. Peres received the most nominations with 54 and President Herzog gave him the chance to form a government. After many failures and a long process, it was decided to form a National Unity Government that would split the term between Peres and Shamir as Prime Minister. The Peres led coalition had 97 MKs until 29 July 1986 when it dropped to 96 MKs. Peres resigned at the half-way point as agreed upon so that Shamir could form the 22nd Government.

22nd Government Term: 20 October 1986 – 22 December 1988

Shamir’s 22nd Government enjoyed a 96 MK coalition until Shinui left on 26 May 1987, leaving the coalition with a 93 MK majority. This was the last Knesset term where early elections were avoided, and the elections were held on time.

 

12th Knesset

November 21, 1988 – July 13, 1992

Prime Minister: Yitzhak Shamir (Likud)

Phase 1: Likud wins with 40 seats.

Phase 2: Shamir nominated by 65 MKs.

Phase 3: 23rd Government is confirmed by 97 MKs.

23rd Government Formed: 22 December 1988 – 11 June 1990

Shamir’s 23rd Government enjoyed a 97 MK majority until the “stinky maneuver” in which the Government fell in a no-confidence motion and the Alignment left the coalition on 15 March 1990 with just 58 MKs. The 23rd Government served as a caretaker Government until the 24th Government was formed.

Peres attempts and fails to form government.

Phase 2: Peres was nominated by 55 MKs.

Phase 2: Shamir was nominated by 61 MKs.

Phase 3: 24th Government is confirmed by 61 MKs.

24th Government Formed: 11 June 1990 – 13 July 1992

Peres got the first crack at forming the 24th Government when he produced the most nominations in Phase 2 following the no-confidence vote. Peres got as close as 60 MKs but failed to secure 61 MKs. Shamir was nominated by 61 MKs and was approved by 61 MKs. At the start of the 24th Government the coalition consisted of 59 MKs with the 2 Moledet MKs providing a “security blanket” in the opposition. On 2 July 1990 the coalition grew to 60 MKs. Agudat Yisrael officially joined the coalition on 19 November 1990 and the coalition increased to 64 MKs. Moledet joined the coalition on 5 February 1991 increasing the coalition to 66 MKs. On 31 December 1991 Tzomet left the Government and the coalition decreased to 64 MKs. On 21 January 1992 Techiya and Moledet left the Government and the coalition dropped to 59 MKs. The Knesset voted for early elections and the minority government served as a caretaker Government until the end of the term.

 

13th Knesset

July 13, 1992 – June 17, 1996

Prime Minister: Yitzhak Rabin (Labor) and Shimon Peres (Labor)

Phase 1: Labor wins with 44 seats.

Phase 2: Rabin nominated by 61 MKs.

Phase 3: 25th Government is confirmed by 67 MKs.

25th Government Formed: 13 July 1992 – 22 November 1995

Rabin’s coalition started with 62 MKs with a “security blanket” from the 5 MKs from the Arab Parties. Shas left the Government on 14 September 1993 and the coalition dropped to 56 MKs. It was the first time that a coalition had a Minority Government in the middle of a term. It survived thanks to the security blanket of the 5 opposition MKs who refused to topple the Government. Yiud split from Tzomet and joined the coalition on 2 January 1995 and the coalition increased to 59 MKs, while maintaining their security blanket of 5 MKs. On 4 November 1995 Rabin was assassinated and Peres served as interim Prime Minister until he formed the 26th Government.

Direct Elections Law Passes – Rabin assassinated – Peres takes over

26th Government Term: 22 November 1995 – 18 June 1996

In 1992 the Direct Elections Law removed the Phase 1-2-3 system and instituted the Direct Elections System that would be in place until 2003. Peres was selected by the cabinet to form the next Government. The coalition consisted of 58 MKs and a security blanket of 5 MKs. The coalition increased to 59 MKs on 7 March 1996 when an independent joined the coalition.

 

14th Knesset

June 17, 1996 – June 07, 1999

Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud)

Direct Elections: 50.5% Netanyahu, 49.5% Peres

27th Government Formed: 18 June 1996 – 6 July 1999

Netanyahu formed a coalition of 66 MKs which he maintained throughout the 27th Government. Labor was the larger party with 34 seats to Likud’s 32 seats. Netanyahu called early elections when he saw his coalition was falling apart.

 

15th Knesset

June 07, 1999 – February 17, 2003

Prime Minister: Ehud Barak (One Israel) and Ariel Sharon (Likud)

Direct Elections: Barak 56.1%, Netanyahu 43.9%

28th Government Formed: 6 July 1999 – 7 March 2001

Barak formed a coalition of 75 MKs that lasted until 5 September 1999 when UTJ left his coalition with 70 MKs. Yisrael B’Aliya, Shas & the National Religious Party resigned leaving his coalition with 32 MKs on 12 July 2000. Barak chose to resign as Prime Minister and have elections for Prime Minister without having elections for the Knesset. 28th Government served as caretaker Government through the election cycle and until the formation of the 29th Government.

Direct Elections: Sharon 62.4%, Barak 37.6%

Sharon defeats Barak in Direct Election Prime Minister Vote

29th Government Term: 7 March 2001 – 28 February 2003

Sharon formed a coalition of 80 MKs. One Israel (Labor) was the larger party with 23 seats to Likud’s 19, yet Labor still joined Sharon’s coalition. Over the course of the term the coalition went up and down. The coalition increased to 83, dropped to 81, dropped again to 74, increased to 82, dropped to 65 and increased again to 82, before dropping to 79 seats. On 2 November 2003 the coalition dropped to 53 MKs when Labor left the coalition. Sharon decided to seek early elections instead of forming a new Government.

Direct Elections are cancelled, and Israel returns to Phase 1-2-3 system

 

16th Knesset

February 17, 2003 – April 17, 2006

Prime Minister: Ariel Sharon (Likud & Kadima) and Ehud Olmert (Kadima)

Phase 1: Likud wins with 38 seats, 40 seats after Yisrael B’Aliyah merger.

Phase 2: Sharon nominated by 87 MKs.

Phase 3: 30th Government is confirmed by 68 MKs.

30th Government Formed: 28 February 2003 – 4 May 2006

Sharon was nominated by 87 MKs but formed a coalition with 68 MKs. Sharon relied at various points on different security nets to ensure the survival of his Government. Over the course of the term the coalition dropped to 61, dropped again to 55 and dropped even further to 40 MKs before increasing to 59, increasing again to 64 and dropping to 45 MKs. After Sharon formed Kadima, Likud dropped out of the coalition leaving the 30th Government with just 20 MKs leading to the Knesset calling for early elections. Following Sharon’s stroke on 28 February 2006 Olmert served first as acting and then interim Prime Minister in the caretaker government.

 

17th Knesset

April 17, 2006 – February 24, 2009

Prime Minister: Ehud Olmert (Kadima)

Phase 1: Kadima wins with 29 seats.

Phase 2: Olmert is nominated by 59 MKs.

Phase 3: 31st Government is confirmed by 67 MKs.

31st Government Formed: 4 May 2006 – 31 March 2009

Olmert’s coalition had 67 MKs until Yisrael Beitenu joined on 30 October 2006 when it increased to 78 MKs. After Yisrael Beitenu left the coalition on 18 January 2008 the coalition returned to 67 MKs. Olmert announced on 30 July 2008 that he planned to resign as Prime Minister. On 17 September Livni won her primary and was chosen to lead Kadima. On 21 September Olmert resigned as Prime Minister and the 31st Government became a caretaker Government. Livni informed President Peres on 26 October that she had failed to form a Government and that the Knesset would vote for an early election instead. Olmert remained Prime Minister until the 32nd Government was formed.

Livni fails to form Government

Phase 2: Livni is nominated by 38 MKs.

 

18th Knesset

February 24, 2009 – February 05, 2013

Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud)

Phase 1: Kadima wins with 28 seats.

Phase 2: Netanyahu is nominated by 65 MKs.

Phase 3: 32nd Government is confirmed by 74 MKs.

32nd Government Formed: 31 March 2009 – 18 March 2013

Livni’s Kadima won Phase 1, but Netanyahu won Phase 2 with 65 nominations. He formed a coalition of 74 MKs that dropped to 66 MKs on 17 January 2011 when Barak split Labor into two. The Independence Party went into the coalition and Labor went the opposition. On 8 May 2012 Kadima under the new leadership of Mofaz joined the Government to give the coalition a 94 MK majority, the largest coalition since 1990. On 17 July 2012 Kadima left the Government and the coalition returned to 66 MKs. In October 2012 the Knesset voted for early elections to be held in January 2013 instead of October 2013.

 

19th Knesset

February 05, 2013 – March 31, 2015

Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud)

Phase 1: Likud Beitenu wins with 31 seats.

Phase 2: Netanyahu is nominated by 82 MKs.

Phase 3: 33rd Government is confirmed by 68 MKs.

33rd Government Formed: 18 March 2013 – 14 May 2015

Netanyahu formed a coalition of 68 MKs. Likud and Yisrael Beitenu split during the term and by the end of term Yesh Atid’ with 19 seats was larger than Likud’s 18 seats. Netanyahu fired Lapid & Livni on 2 December 2014. After Yesh Atid & Livni’s Party left the coalition the 32nd Government was left with 43 MKs leading to an early election.

 

20th Knesset

March 31, 2015 – Present

Prime Minister: Benjamin Netanyahu

Phase 1: Likud wins with 30 seats.

Phase 2: Netanyahu is nominated by 67 MKs.

Phase 3: 34th Government is confirmed by 61 MKs.

34th Government Formed: 14 May 2015 – Present

Netanyahu formed a coalition of 61 MKs, the narrowest coalition at the start of a term since 1995. The coalition grew to 67 MKs when Yisrael Beitenu joined the coalition on 25 May 2016. It dropped to 66 when Orly Levy left Yisrael Beitenu and the coalition. It dropped back to 61 MKs when Yisrael Beitenu left the coalition on 18 November 2018.

The next Knesset election is currently scheduled for 5 November 2019