Ninth government of Israel

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The ninth government of Israel (Hebrew: מֶמְשֶׁלֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל הַתְּשִׁיעִית, translit. Memshelet Yisra'el HaT'shi'it) was formed by David Ben-Gurion on 17 December 1959 following the November 1959 elections. Ben-Gurion largely kept the same coalition partners as during the previous government (i.e. Mapai, the National Religious Party, Mapam, Ahdut HaAvoda, the Progressive Party and Agriculture and Development), and added the new Israeli Arab parties Progress and Development and Cooperation and Brotherhood.

The government collapsed when Ben-Gurion resigned on 31 January 1961, over a motion of no-confidence brought by Herut and the General Zionists following the publication of the findings of the Committee of Seven concerning the Lavon Affair. At the end of February Ben-Gurion informed President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi that he could not form a new government,[1] and new elections were called after the Knesset was dissolved in March.

Cabinet members

The Cabinet
Position Person Party
Prime Minister
David Ben-Gurion Mapai
Minister of Agriculture Moshe Dayan Mapai
Minister of Defense David Ben-Gurion Mapai
Minister of Development Mordechai Bentov Mapam
Minister of Education and Culture Zalman Aran (until 10 May 1960) Mapai
Abba Eban (from 3 August 1960) Mapai
Minister of Finance Levi Eshkol Mapai
Minister of Foreign Affairs Golda Meir Mapai
Minister of Health Yisrael Barzilai Ahdut HaAvoda
Minister of Internal Affairs Haim-Moshe Shapira National Religious Party
Minister of Justice Pinchas Rosen Progressive Party
Minister of Labour Giora Yoseftal Mapai
Minister of Police Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit Mapai
Minister of Postal Services Binyamin Mintz (until 30 May 1961) 1 Religious Torah Front
Minister of Religions Ya'akov Moshe Toledano (until 15 October 1960) 1 Not an MK
Minister of Trade and Industry Pinhas Sapir Mapai
Minister of Transportation Yitzhak Ben-Aharon Ahdut HaAvoda
Minister of Welfare Yosef Burg National Religious Party
Minister without Portfolio Abba Eban (until 3 August 1960) Mapai
Deputy Minister of Defense Shimon Peres Mapai
Deputy Minister of Education and Culture Ami Assaf Mapai
Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Shlomo-Yisrael Ben-Meir National Religious Party

1 Died in office.

References

  1. 1961 timeline Jewish Agency for Israel

External links