The Prime Minister of Israel

What legal texts create and define the office?

Israel has no single written constitution. The Knesset has instead passed a series of Basic Laws, and the office of prime minister rests on one of them. The current text is Basic Law: The Government, first adopted in 2001. It states that the Government is the executive branch of the state, that it holds office by virtue of the Knesset's confidence, and that it is collectively responsible to the Knesset. Each minister answers to the prime minister for his or her field. The Government is made up of the prime minister and other ministers. The prime minister must be a member of the Knesset, while other ministers need not be. One minister who is a Knesset member may act as the prime minister's substitute [1].

The 2001 law is the third version of this Basic Law. The first was passed in 1968. A 1992 version created a separate popular vote for prime minister, held alongside the Knesset vote. Direct elections took place in 1996, 1999 and 2001. A study of that period found that most voters split their two ballots, giving one to a prime-ministerial candidate from Labor or Likud and the other to a small party, which increased the number of parties in the Knesset. The 2001 law repealed the 1992 version and applied from the elections to the 16th Knesset, held in 2003. It can be changed only by a majority of all Knesset members at each of the three readings [2]. The Knesset has amended it many times since. The Knesset's unofficial English translation includes amendments adopted through 15 August 2023 [1].

How does a person become prime minister?

The process starts after an election or after a government falls. Within seven days of the published results, the President consults the parliamentary groups and gives the task of forming a government to a Knesset member who agrees to take it. That member has 28 days, which the President may extend by up to 14 days in total. If the member fails, the President may give the task to a second member for another 28 days. If that also fails, a majority of Knesset members may ask the President in writing to assign the task to a named member, who then has 14 days. If no government results, the Knesset is treated as having dissolved itself, and a new election is held on the last Tuesday before 90 days have passed [3].

A member who succeeds presents the Government to the Knesset with its policy guidelines, its ministers and their duties, and asks for a vote of confidence. The Government is formed only when the Knesset expresses that confidence, and the member who formed it becomes its head [3]. No single party has ever won a Knesset majority, so every government has been a coalition.

Amendment No. 8 added a "rotation government," in which two members take turns as prime minister on a date fixed in advance. The member not serving holds the title Alternate Prime Minister. Ministers are split into two equal camps. The prime minister cannot dismiss the Alternate Prime Minister and needs the Alternate's consent to dissolve the Knesset [4]. The 36th government used this form. Naftali Bennett led it from 13 June 2021, and Yair Lapid took over on 1 July 2022 [5]. An earlier, informal rotation took place when Yitzhak Shamir replaced Shimon Peres on 20 October 1986 [5].

What powers does the prime minister hold relative to the Knesset?

The prime minister controls the make-up of the cabinet. He or she may remove any minister after telling the Government, and the removal takes effect 48 hours later. The Government may, with Knesset approval, move functions between ministers, but it cannot reassign the function of prime minister [6]. When the prime minister resigns or dies, the whole Government is treated as having resigned [8].

The Knesset can end a government in only one way. A no-confidence vote succeeds only when a majority of all members votes confidence in a named alternative government, with its own guidelines and ministers. A motion signed by 61 members must be debated within a week [6]. Under this design, the Knesset cannot remove a prime minister without agreeing on a successor.

The prime minister holds a counter-power. If a Knesset majority opposes the Government and prevents it from working, the prime minister may dissolve the Knesset with the President's consent, by an order published in the official gazette. Within 21 days, a Knesset majority may instead ask the President to give another member the task of forming a government [6].

In security matters, the state may start a war or a major military operation only by a Government decision. The Government may delegate this power to a ministerial committee, which may use it only if the prime minister decides that security or foreign-relations reasons require it. The prime minister must inform the Knesset plenum as soon as possible. In a state of emergency, if the Government cannot be convened, the prime minister may issue emergency regulations alone. Forty Knesset members may demand, once a month, a debate that the prime minister must attend [7].

The Knesset may remove a prime minister convicted of an offence involving moral turpitude, by a majority of its members. If it does not, the prime minister's service ends when the verdict becomes final [8]. Amendment No. 12, passed in March 2023, limits a finding that a prime minister is unable to serve to physical or mental causes. It requires either the prime minister's own notice or a three-quarters cabinet vote, confirmed by two thirds of the House Committee, with 80 Knesset votes needed to extend it [8]. On 3 January 2024, the High Court of Justice held by six votes to five that the amendment was aimed at the serving prime minister's personal situation, and ruled that it applies only from the next Knesset onward [9].

How does the prime minister stand in relation to the Attorney General?

The Attorney General is the Government's chief legal adviser and also heads the criminal prosecution service. The Basic Law gives this official a direct role over the prime minister. No criminal investigation may be opened against a serving prime minister without the Attorney General's consent. The same applies to a former prime minister for acts done in office or during the year after leaving it. Any indictment of a prime minister must be filed by the Attorney General before a three-judge panel of the Jerusalem District Court [10].

On 28 January 2020, the Attorney General filed an indictment against Benjamin Netanyahu, then the outgoing prime minister, in the Jerusalem District Court for bribery, fraud and breach of trust [11]. On 6 May 2020, an eleven-justice panel of the High Court ruled unanimously that a pending indictment does not bar a Knesset member from being given the task of forming a government or from heading one. The court held that the discretion belongs to the Knesset members who recommend a candidate [12]. Netanyahu serves under a conflict-of-interest arrangement that limits his involvement in matters linked to his trial [9].

Under Israeli case law, the Attorney General is the official interpreter of the law for the executive, and that reading binds the executive unless the Supreme Court rules otherwise [13]. On 4 August 2025, the Government voted unanimously to dismiss Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. The High Court froze the dismissal the same day [14]. On 14 December 2025, a seven-justice panel unanimously annulled the dismissal. It also annulled a June 2025 Government decision that had removed the requirement to consult a public-professional committee before dismissing an Attorney General [15].

On 15 July 2026, the Knesset passed the Attorney General's Law (Opinion, Representation and Supervision), 5786-2026, by 65 votes to 51. The law takes effect on 1 January 2027. Within 30 days of that date, the Government must set the method for appointing the Attorney General [13]. The bill approved for final readings let the Government declare that a specific opinion does not reflect the law and act on its own reading, and excluded the Attorney General's criminal-law decisions from this override [16].

How long do prime ministers serve?

No law limits the number of terms a prime minister may serve. Time in office depends on the life of the Knesset and the survival of the coalition. The Knesset is elected for four years from the day of its election [17], but most Knessets have ended early. A May 2026 report by the State Comptroller found that governments have been formed on average every two years rather than every four [18]. In the table below, six tenures lasted less than two years.

Tenures have ended through election defeat, coalition collapse, resignation, death and incapacity. Levi Eshkol died in office in 1969, Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in 1995, and Ariel Sharon became incapacitated after a stroke in 2006. In each case a minister served as acting prime minister until a new government formed. A resigning prime minister continues to serve until a new government is formed. If the prime minister dies or cannot serve, the Government names another minister from the prime minister's parliamentary group as acting prime minister [8].

The 25th Knesset, elected in November 2022, served its full term. The election for the 26th Knesset has been set for 27 October 2026, the latest date the law allows [19]. By the dates in the table, Benjamin Netanyahu's three tenures total about 19 years. David Ben-Gurion's two tenures total about 13 years.

Every holder of the office, 1948 to 2026

The Prime Minister's Office lists fourteen people who have held the office, from David Ben-Gurion to Yair Lapid, with Benjamin Netanyahu counted once despite three separate tenures [20]. The dates below come from the office's list of governments [5]. Each tenure begins on the date the person's first government took office. It ends on the date the next government took office, because an outgoing prime minister stays in place until a successor government is formed. Three tenures include periods when another minister acted as prime minister. Yigal Allon acted after Levi Eshkol's death in 1969. Shimon Peres acted after Yitzhak Rabin's assassination in 1995. Ehud Olmert acted after Ariel Sharon's stroke in 2006, and he then headed the 31st government from 4 May 2006. Acting holders are not listed as separate rows. Lengths are rounded to one decimal place, and the final row runs to 25 September 2026. Party labels are those under which each person headed the government.

In One Paragraph

The Prime Minister of Israel heads the Government, the state's executive branch, an office that has existed since 14 May 1948 and is governed today by Basic Law: The Government of 2001, applied from the 2003 election after a period of direct election between 1996 and 2001. The President assigns a Knesset member the task of forming a government, with 28 days plus up to 14 more, and the Government takes office only on a Knesset vote of confidence. The Knesset can replace it only by electing a named alternative with 61 votes, and the prime minister can dissolve the Knesset with the President's consent. The Attorney General must consent to any criminal investigation of a prime minister and files any indictment; the Attorney General's opinions, binding under case law, become non-binding on the Government from 1 January 2027 under a law passed on 15 July 2026. Governments have formed on average every two years. Fourteen people have held the office, and Benjamin Netanyahu, in office since 29 December 2022 and for about 19 years in total, faces the election of 27 October 2026.

Sources

1. Knesset, Basic-Law: The Government (Originally Adopted in 5761-2001), unofficial English translation by Sheila Hattis Rolef, including amendments adopted through August 15, 2023, arts. 1, 3, 4, 5.https://m.knesset.gov.il/EN/activity/documents/BasicLawsPDF/BasicLawTheGovernment.pdf
2. Knesset, Basic-Law: The Government, arts. 44, 46, 47.https://m.knesset.gov.il/EN/activity/documents/BasicLawsPDF/BasicLawTheGovernment.pdf
3. Knesset, Basic-Law: The Government, arts. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13.https://m.knesset.gov.il/EN/activity/documents/BasicLawsPDF/BasicLawTheGovernment.pdf
4. Knesset, Basic-Law: The Government, arts. 13a, 43c, 43f.https://m.knesset.gov.il/EN/activity/documents/BasicLawsPDF/BasicLawTheGovernment.pdf
5. Prime Minister's Office, "Past Governments," Government of Israel, entries for the Provisional Government through the 36th Government.https://www.gov.il/apps/pmo/history/historyGovernmentsEn.html
6. Knesset, Basic-Law: The Government, arts. 22(b), 28, 29, 31(a).https://m.knesset.gov.il/EN/activity/documents/BasicLawsPDF/BasicLawTheGovernment.pdf
7. Knesset, Basic-Law: The Government, arts. 39(b), 40, 42(b).https://m.knesset.gov.il/EN/activity/documents/BasicLawsPDF/BasicLawTheGovernment.pdf
8. Knesset, Basic-Law: The Government, arts. 16(b1), 18, 19, 20, 30(b), 30(c).https://m.knesset.gov.il/EN/activity/documents/BasicLawsPDF/BasicLawTheGovernment.pdf
9. Amichai Cohen and Yuval Shany, "The HCJ Strikes Back: Israel's Supreme Court Pulls the Plug on 'Judicial Reform,'" Lawfare, January 11, 2024, section "The Incapacitation Law Case."https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-hcj-strikes-back-israel-s-supreme-court-pulls-the-plug-on-judicial-reform#:~:text=The%20Incapacitation%20Law%20Case
10. Knesset, Basic-Law: The Government, art. 17.https://m.knesset.gov.il/EN/activity/documents/BasicLawsPDF/BasicLawTheGovernment.pdf
11. Law Library of Congress, "Israel: Supreme Court Again Rejects Petition for Court to Rule on Indicted Knesset Member's Eligibility for Prime Ministership," Global Legal Monitor, April 20, 2020, second paragraph.https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2020-04-20/israel-supreme-court-again-rejects-petition-for-court-to-rule-on-indicted-knesset-members-eligibility-for-prime-ministership/#:~:text=On%20January%2028%2C%202020
12. Cardozo Israeli Supreme Court Project, "Summary of Cases from the Israeli Supreme Court, 2019-2020," entry for HCJ 2592/20 Movement for Quality Government v. Attorney General (May 6, 2020), Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University.https://versa.cardozo.yu.edu/viewpoints/summary-cases-israeli-supreme-court-2019-2020#:~:text=HCJ%202592%2F20
13. Ruth Levush, "Israel: Knesset Adopts Legislation Changing Attorney General's Status," Global Legal Monitor, Law Library of Congress, August 21, 2026, opening paragraphs.https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2026-08-21/israel-knesset-adopts-legislation-changing-attorney-generals-status#:~:text=On%20July%2015%2C%202026
14. "Government Fires Attorney General; High Court Immediately Freezes Her Dismissal," Times of Israel, August 2025, second paragraph.https://www.timesofisrael.com/high-court-freezes-dismissal-of-attorney-general-after-government-votes-to-fire-her/#:~:text=voted%20unanimously
15. "High Court of Justice Nullifies Govt's Dismissal of Attorney-General, Baharav-Miara to Remain," Jerusalem Post, December 14, 2025, opening paragraphs.https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-880258#:~:text=seven-justice%20panel
16. "Knesset Committee Approves Bill Gutting Powers of Attorney General for Final Readings," Times of Israel, live blog entry, July 12, 2026.https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/knesset-committee-approves-bill-gutting-powers-of-attorney-general-for-final-readings/#:~:text=criminal%20matters
17. Central Elections Committee, "Basic-Law: The Knesset," English translation, art. 8.https://www.gov.il/apps/elections/eng/law/BasicLawKnesset_eng.html#:~:text=Term%20of%20office%20of%20the%20Knesset
18. State Comptroller of Israel, The Structure of the Government in Israel: Changes and Their Implications for Government Performance, Special Report (Jerusalem, May 2026), 4.https://library.mevaker.gov.il/sites/DigitalLibrary/Documents/2026/Government-Structure/2026-Gov-Structure-Taktzir-EN.pdf#page=4
19. Al Jazeera Staff, "Israel to Hold National Elections on October 27, Parliament Says," Al Jazeera, July 12, 2026, first paragraph.https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/12/israel-to-hold-national-elections-on-october-27-parliament-says#:~:text=the%20latest%20date%20legally%20allowed
20. Prime Minister's Office, "Former Prime Ministers," Government of Israel.https://www.gov.il/apps/pmo/history/historyPrimeMinistersEn.html