Eighth government of Israel

Sixth Ben-Gurion Cabinet

8th Cabinet of Israel
Date formed7 January 1958 (1958-01-07)
Date dissolved17 December 1959 (1959-12-17)
People and organisations
Head of stateYitzhak Ben-Zvi
Head of governmentDavid Ben-Gurion
Member partiesMapai
Mapam
Ahdut HaAvoda
Progressive Party
National Religious Party
Democratic List for Israeli Arabs
Progress and Work
Agriculture and Development
Status in legislatureCoalition
Opposition leaderMenachem Begin
History
Legislature term3rd Knesset
Predecessor7th cabinet of Israel
Successor9th cabinet of Israel
January 8, 1958:Ministers of the Eighth Government with the President. Sitting from left to right: Levi Eshkol, Yisrael Bar-Yehuda, Golda Meir, President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, David Ben-Gurion, Pinchas Rosen, Peretz Naftali. Standing from left to right: Mordechai Namir, Zalman Aran, Pinchas Sapir, Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit, Kadish Luz, Yisrael Barzilai, Yosef Burg, Mordechai Bentov and Moshe Carmel

The eighth government of Israel was formed by David Ben-Gurion on 7 January 1958, and was the second government of the third Knesset. Ben-Gurion kept the same coalition partners as during the previous government, i.e. Mapai, the National Religious Party, Mapam, Ahdut HaAvoda, the Progressive Party, the Democratic List for Israeli Arabs, Progress and Work and Agriculture and Development. The only change to the cabinet was the addition of Shlomo-Yisrael Ben-Meir as a Deputy Minister.

All ministers and deputy ministers from the National Religious Party left the cabinet on 1 July 1958.

The government collapsed following Ben-Gurion's resignation on 5 July 1959 after Ahdut HaAvoda and Mapam voted against the government during a vote on selling arms to West Germany and then refused to resign from the government. New elections were called in November that year after Ben-Gurion told President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi that he was unable to form a new government.[1]

Cabinet members

[edit]
Position Person Party
Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion Mapai
Minister of Agriculture Kadish Luz Mapai
Minister of Defense David Ben-Gurion Mapai
Minister of Development Mordechai Bentov Mapam
Minister of Education and Culture Zalman Aran 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 Yisrael Bar-Yehuda Ahdut HaAvoda
Minister of Justice Pinchas Rosen Progressive Party
Minister of Labour Mordechai Namir Mapai
Minister of Police Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit Mapai
Minister of Postal Services Yosef Burg (until 1 July 1958) National Religious Party
Yisrael Barzilai (after 1 July 1958) Mapam
Minister of Religions Haim-Moshe Shapira (until 1 July 1958) National Religious Party
Ya'akov Moshe Toledano (after 3 December 1958) Not an MK
Minister of Trade and Industry Pinhas Sapir Not an MK 1
Minister of Transportation Moshe Carmel Ahdut HaAvoda 2
Minister of Welfare Haim-Moshe Shapira (until 1 July 1958) National Religious Party
Peretz Naftali (after 1 July 1958) Mapai
Minister without Portfolio Peretz Naftali (until 25 January 1959) Mapai
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ze'ev Tzur Ahdut HaAvoda
Deputy Minister of Education and Culture Moshe Unna (until 1 July 1958) National Religious Party
Deputy Minister of Religions Zerach Warhaftig (until 1 July 1958) National Religious Party
Deputy Minister of Welfare Shlomo-Yisrael Ben-Meir (until 1 July 1958) National Religious Party

1 Although Sapir was not an MK during the third Knesset, he was later an MK for Mapai.

2 Carmel did not enter the Knesset until 9 June 1958.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ 1959 timeline Archived 2008-12-03 at the Wayback Machine Jewish Agency for Israel
[edit]