First government of Israel

The first government of Israel was formed by David Ben-Gurion on 8 March 1949, a month and a half after the elections for the First Knesset. His Mapai party formed a coalition with the United Religious Front, the Progressive Party, the Sephardim and Oriental Communities and the Democratic List of Nazareth, and there were 12 ministers.

First Ben-Gurion Cabinet
1st Cabinet of Israel
Date formed	10 March 1949 (1949-03-10)
Date dissolved	30 October 1950 (1950-10-30)
People and organisations
Head of state	Chaim Weizmann
Head of government	David Ben-Gurion
Member parties	Mapai United Religious Front Progressive Party Sephardim and Oriental Communities Democratic List of Nazareth
Status in legislature	Coalition
Opposition leader	Meir Ya'ari
History
Election	1949 Israeli legislative election
Legislature term	1st Knesset
Predecessor	Provisional cabinet of Israel
Successor	2nd cabinet of Israel

First Government of Israel on 1 May 1949. Left-right: Golda Meir, Zalman Shazar, Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit, Zvi Maimon (government stenographer), Dov Yosef, Eliezer Kaplan, Moshe Sharett, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, Ze'ev Sherf (cabinet secretary), Pinchas Rosen, David Remez, Haim Moshe Shapira, Yitzhak Meir Levin, Yehuda Leib Maimon.

A notable piece of legislation enacted during the term of the first government was an educational law in 1949 which introduced compulsory schooling for all children between the ages of 5 and 14.^[1]

Ben-Gurion resigned on 15 October 1950 after the United Religious Front objected to his demands that the Supply and Rationing Ministry be closed and a businessman appointed as Minister for Trade and Industry, as well as issues over education in the new immigrant camps.

First government of Israel
Portfolio	Minister	Party
Prime Minister Minister of Defense	David Ben-Gurion		Mapai
Minister of Agriculture Minister of Rationing and Supply	Dov Yosef		Mapai
Minister of Education and Culture	Zalman Shazar		Mapai
Minister of Foreign Affairs	Moshe Sharett		Mapai
Minister of Finance Minister of Trade and Industry	Eliezer Kaplan		Mapai
Minister of Health Minister of Immigration Minister of Internal Affairs	Haim-Moshe Shapira		United Religious Front
Minister of Justice	Pinchas Rosen		Progressive Party
Minister of Labour and Social Security	Golda Meir		Mapai
Minister of Police	Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit		Sephardim and Oriental Communities
Minister of Religions and War Victims	Yehuda Leib Maimon		United Religious Front
Minister of Transportation	David Remez		Mapai
Minister of Welfare	Yitzhak-Meir Levin		United Religious Front