Twenty-seventh government of Israel

First Netanyahu Cabinet

27th Cabinet of Israel
Date formed18 June 1996 (1996-06-18)
Date dissolved6 July 1999 (1999-07-06)
People and organisations
Head of stateEzer Weizman
Head of governmentBenjamin Netanyahu
Member partiesLikud
Gesher
Tzomet
National Religious Party
Yisrael BaAliyah
Third Way
Shas
United Torah Judaism
Status in legislatureGovernment coalition
Opposition partyLabor
Opposition leaderShimon Peres (until 1997)
Ehud Barak (until 1999)
History
Election1996
Legislature term14th Knesset
Predecessor26th cabinet of Israel
Successor28th cabinet of Israel

The twenty-seventh government of Israel was formed by Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud on 18 June 1996. Although his Likud-Gesher-Tzomet alliance won fewer seats than Labor, Netanyahu formed the government after winning the country's first ever direct election for Prime Minister, narrowly defeating incumbent Shimon Peres. This government was the first formed by an Israeli national born in the state after independence in 1948 (the seventeenth government of 1974–1977 was the first to be formed by a native-born Israeli, although Rabin was born in the territory prior to independence).

Together with Likud-Gesher-Tzomet, Netanyahu also included Shas, the National Religious Party, Yisrael BaAliyah, United Torah Judaism and the Third Way in the government, with the coalition holding 66 of the 120 seats in the Knesset.[1] The government was also supported, but not joined, by the two-seat Moledet faction. Gesher left the coalition on 6 January 1998, but the government remained in place until 6 July 1999, when Ehud Barak formed the twenty-eighth government after defeating Netanyahu in the 1999 election for Prime Minister.

Cabinet members

Position Person Party
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Likud
Deputy Prime Minister David Levy (until 6 January 1998) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Zevulun Hammer (until 20 January 1998)1 National Religious Party
Rafael Eitan Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Moshe Katsav Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Minister of Agriculture Rafael Eitan Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Minister of Communications Limor Livnat Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Minister of Defense Yitzhak Mordechai (until 25 January 1999) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Moshe Arens (from 27 January 1999) Not an MK 2
Minister of Education, Culture and Sport Zevulun Hammer (until 20 January 1998)1 National Religious Party
Yitzhak Levy (from 25 February 1998) National Religious Party
Minister of Energy and Infrastructure 4 Yitzhak Levy (until 8 July 1996) National Religious Party
Ariel Sharon (from 8 July 1996) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Minister of the Environment Rafael Eitan Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Minister of Finance Dan Meridor (until 20 June 1997) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Benjamin Netanyahu (20 June – 9 July 1997) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Ya'akov Ne'eman (9 July 1997 – 18 December 1998) Not an MK
Benjamin Netanyahu (18 December 1998 – 23 February 1999) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Meir Sheetrit (from 23 February 1999) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Minister of Foreign Affairs David Levy (until 6 January 1998) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Ariel Sharon (from 13 October 1998) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Minister of Health Tzachi Hanegbi (until 12 November 1996) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Joshua Matza (from 12 November 1996) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Minister of Housing Benjamin Netanyahu Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Minister of Immigrant Absorption Yuli-Yoel Edelstein Yisrael BaAliyah
Minister of Industry and Trade Natan Sharansky Yisrael BaAliyah
Minister of Internal Affairs Eli Suissa Not an MK 3
Minister of Internal Security Avigdor Kahalani Third Way
Minister of Justice Ya'akov Ne'eman (until 10 August 1996) Not an MK
Benjamin Netanyahu (10 August – 4 September 1996) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Tzachi Hanegbi (from 4 September 1996) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Eli Yishai Shas
Minister of Religious Affairs Benjamin Netanyahu (until 7 August 1996) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Eli Suissa (7 August 1996 – 12 August 1997) Not an MK 3
Benjamin Netanyahu (12–22 August 1997) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Zevulun Hammer (22 August 1997 – 20 January 1998)1 National Religious Party
Benjamin Netanyahu (20 January – 25 February 1998) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Yitzhak Levy (25 February – 13 September 1998) National Religious Party
Eli Suissa (from 13 September 1998) Not an MK 3
Minister of Science and Technology Michael Eitan (until 13 July 1998) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Silvan Shalom (from 13 July 1998) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Minister of Tourism Moshe Katsav Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Minister of Transportation Yitzhak Levy (until 25 February 1998) National Religious Party
Shaul Yahalom (from 25 February 1998) National Religious Party
Minister without Portfolio Shaul Amor (from 20 January 1999) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Minister for Israeli Arab Affairs Moshe Katsav Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Yigal Bibi (until 7 August 1996) National Religious Party
Michael Eitan (from 13 July 1998) Likud
Deputy Minister of Defense Silvan Shalom Likud
Deputy Minister of Education, Culture and Sport Moshe Peled (until 20 January 1998) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Moshe Peled (28 January – 2 November 1998) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Eliezer Sandberg Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Deputy Minister of Finance David Magen (until 20 May 1997) Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Deputy Minister of Health Shlomo Benizri Shas
Deputy Minister of Housing Meir Porush United Torah Judaism
Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Aryeh Gamliel (13–22 August 1998) Shas
Yigal Bibi (13 August 1996 – 20 January 1998) National Religious Party
Aryeh Gamliel (24 August 1997 – 20 January 1998) Shas
Yigal Bibi (from 25 January 1998) National Religious Party
Aryeh Gamliel (from 25 January 1998) Shas

1 Died in office.

2 Although Arens was not a Knesset member at the time, he had previously been an MK for Likud.

3 Although Suissa was not a Knesset member at the time, he was elected to the Knesset on the Shas list in 1999.

4 The name of the post was changed to Minister of National Infrastructure on 8 July 1996.

References

  1. ^ Factional and Government Make-Up of the Fourteenth Knesset Knesset website