First government of Israel

First Ben-Gurion Cabinet
1st Cabinet of Israel
Date formed	10 March 1949 (1949-03-10)
Date dissolved	30 October 1950 (1950-10-30)
People and organisations
Head of state	Chaim Weizmann
Head of government	David Ben-Gurion
Member parties	Mapai United Religious Front Progressive Party Sephardim and Oriental Communities Democratic List of Nazareth
Status in legislature	Coalition
Opposition leader	Meir Ya'ari
History
Election	1949 Israeli legislative election
Legislature term	1st Knesset
Predecessor	Provisional cabinet of Israel
Successor	2nd cabinet of Israel

First Government of Israel on 1 May 1949. Left-right: Golda Meir, Zalman Shazar, Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit, Zvi Maimon (government stenographer), Dov Yosef, Eliezer Kaplan, Moshe Sharett, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, Ze'ev Sherf (cabinet secretary), Pinchas Rosen, David Remez, Haim Moshe Shapira, Yitzhak Meir Levin, Yehuda Leib Maimon.

The first government of Israel was formed by David Ben-Gurion on 8 March 1949, a month and a half after the elections for the First Knesset. His Mapai party formed a coalition with the United Religious Front, the Progressive Party, the Sephardim and Oriental Communities and the Democratic List of Nazareth, and there were 12 ministers.

Election results

There were around 434,000 valid votes cast in the 1949 election.

Party name	Number of votes	Percentage	Number of seats
Mapai	155,274	35.7%	46
Mapam	64,018	14.7%	19
United Religious Front	52,982	12.2%	16
Herut Movement	49,782	11.5%	14
General Zionists	22,661	5.2%	7
Sephardim and Oriental Communities	15,287	3.5%	4
Israel Communist Party	15,148	3.5%	4
Democratic List of Nazareth	7,387	1.7%	2
Fighter's List	5,363	1.2%	1
WIZO	5,173	1.2%	1
Yemenite Association	4,399	1%	1

Cabinet

First government of Israel
Portfolio	Minister	Party
Prime Minister Minister of Defense	David Ben-Gurion		Mapai
Minister of Agriculture Minister of Rationing and Supply	Dov Yosef		Mapai
Minister of Education and Culture	Zalman Shazar		Mapai
Minister of Foreign Affairs	Moshe Sharett		Mapai
Minister of Finance Minister of Trade and Industry	Eliezer Kaplan		Mapai
Minister of Health Minister of Immigration Minister of Internal Affairs	Haim-Moshe Shapira		United Religious Front
Minister of Justice	Pinchas Rosen		Progressive Party
Minister of Labour and Social Security	Golda Meir		Mapai
Minister of Police	Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit		Sephardim and Oriental Communities
Minister of Religions and War Victims	Yehuda Leib Maimon		United Religious Front
Minister of Transportation	David Remez		Mapai
Minister of Welfare	Yitzhak-Meir Levin		United Religious Front

History and policies

A notable piece of legislation enacted during the term of the first government was an educational law in 1949 which introduced compulsory schooling for all children between the ages of 5 and 14. ^[1]

Security policy

One of the promises made by Mapai was to sign the 1949 Armistice Agreements, which they duly did. This laid out the foundation for the Green Line, a idemarcation line set out in the agreements between the Israeli army and those of its neighbours (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria) after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It served as the de facto borders of the State of Israel from 1949 until the Six-Day War in 1967, and continues to represent Israel's internationally recognized borders with the two Palestinian territories: the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. ^{[2] [3]} During this government, they set out the terms for Israeli conscription.

Economic policy

Main article: Austerity in Israel

During the government, austerity policies began, and oversaw a socialist distribution and rationing system. These policies largely came about as Israel had interited the economy of Mandatory Palestine, which had operated under wartime rationing.

Dissolution

Ben-Gurion resigned on 15 October 1950 after the United Religious Front objected to his demands that the Supply and Rationing Ministry be closed and a businessman appointed as Minister for Trade and Industry, as well as issues over education in the new immigrant camps. ^[4]

References

1. The Challenge Of Israel by Misha Louvish. Publisher: Jerusalem Israel Univ Press; 1st Edition (1968) ASIN: B000OKO5U2.
2. "Netanyahu Coalition to Recognize, Fund W. Bank Settlements Lacking Official Status". Haaretz. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
3. "Human rights situation in the OPT - Sp. Rapporteur (Dugard) - Report, SecGen note". Question of Palestine. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
4. https://main.knesset.gov.il/en/about/history/pages/knessethistory.aspx?kns=1

External links

• First Government of Israel Knesset website