Eighteenth government of Israel
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The eighteenth government of Israel was formed by Menachem Begin on 20 June 1977, following the May 1977 elections. It was the first government in Israeli political history led by a right-wing party, with the coalition consisting of Begin's Likud (which included Ariel Sharon's Shlomtzion, which had merged into Likud shortly after the election), the National Religious Party and Agudat Israel. Begin's government also contained Moshe Dayan who had been elected to the Knesset on the Alignment's list. Following Dayan's acceptance of a place in the cabinet, he was expelled from the party and sat as an independent MK, though he only remained in the cabinet for four months.
Begin initially held four portfolios in addition to the position of Prime Minister whilst he negotiated with Dash, which had won 15 seats, making it the third largest party in the Knesset. Negotiations were concluded in October 1977, and Dash joined the government, taking the four portfolios plus a Deputy Prime Minister position (marking the first time the country had more than one Deputy PM). However, after its collapse in 1978 all its MKs except Yigal Yadin left the government.
Defense Minister Ezer Weizman lost his job in May 1980 following confrontations with Begin and Ariel Sharon. Following the 1978 South Lebanon conflict Weizman proposed forming a national unity government with the Alignment to stimulate the peace process. The idea was dismissed by Begin, leading to Weizman criticising Likud for being stubborn and uncompromising . Following a a dispute with Sharon over settlements in the occupied territories, Weizman considered establishing a new party with Moshe Dayan and was expelled from Likud.[1] After a spell out of politics, Weizman founded a new party, Yachad, and returned to the Knesset following the 1984 elections, whilst Dayan founded Telem.
Finance Minister Yigael Hurvitz also left the government following disagreements within Likud; in January 1981 he and two other MKs left Likud and set up Rafi – National List. Hurvitz later defected again to Telem.
The government was in office until 5 August 1981 when the 19th government took office following the 1981 elections.
| The Cabinet | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Person | Party |
| Prime Minister | Menachem Begin | Likud |
| Deputy Prime Minister | Simha Erlikh Yigael Yadin (from 24/10/1977) |
Likud Dash, Democratic Movement, Independent MK |
| Minister of Agriculture | Ariel Sharon | Likud |
| Minister of Communications | Menachem Begin (until 24/10/1977) Meir Amit (24/10/1977-15/9/1978) Yitzhak Moda'i (15/1/1979 - 22/12/1980) Yoram Aridor (from 5/1/1981) |
Likud Dash Likud Likud |
| Minister of Defense | Ezer Weizman (until 28/5/1980) Menachem Begin (after 28/5/1980) |
Likud Likud |
| Minister of Education, Culture and Sport |
Zevulun Hammer | National Religious Party |
| Minister of Energy and Infrastructure |
Yitzhak Moda'i | Likud |
| Minister of Finance | Simha Erlikh (until 7/11/1977) Yigael Hurvitz (7/11/1979 - 13/1/1981) Yoram Aridor (from 21/1/1981) |
Likud Likud Likud |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Moshe Dayan (until 23 October 1979) Menachem Begin (23/10/1979 - 10/3/1980) Yitzhak Shamir (from 10/3/1980) |
Independent MK Likud Likud |
| Minister of Health | Eliezer Shostak | Likud |
| Minister of Housing and Construction |
Gideon Patt (until 15/1/1979) David Levy (from 15/1/1979) |
Likud Likud |
| Minister of Immigrant Absorption | David Levy | Likud |
| Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism |
Yigael Hurvitz (until 1/10/1978) Gideon Patt (from 15/1/1979) |
Likud Likud |
| Minister of Internal Affairs | Yosef Burg | National Religious Party |
| Minister of Justice | Menachem Begin (until 24/10/1977) Shmuel Tamir (24/10/1977 - 5/8/1980) Moshe Nissim (from 13/8/1980) |
Likud Dash, Democratic Movement Likud |
| Minister of Labour and Social Welfare |
Menachem Begin (until 24/10/1977) Israel Katz (from 24/10/1977) |
Likud Not an MK |
| Minister of Religions | Aharon Abuhatssira | National Religious Party |
| Minister of Transportation | Menachem Begin (until 24/10/1977) Meir Amit (24/10/1977 - 15/9/1978) Haim Landau (from 15/1/1979) |
Likud Dash Not an MK 1 |
| Minister without Portfolio | Haim Landau (until 15/1/1979) Moshe Nissim (10/1/1978 - 13/8/1980) |
Not an MK 1 Likud |
| Deputy Minister in the PM's Office | Yoram Aridor (until 28/12/1980) | Likud |
| Deputy Minister of Defense | Mordechai Tzipori | Likud |
| Deputy Minister of Finance | Yehezkel Flomin (until 30/7/1979) | Likud |
| Deputy Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism |
Yitzhak Peretz (until 15/1/1977) | Likud |
1 Although Landau was not an MK during the ninth Knesset, he had previously been an MK for Likud.
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