Seventh government of Israel

Fifth Ben-Gurion Cabinet

7th Cabinet of Israel
Date formed3 November 1955 (1955-11-03)
Date dissolved7 January 1958 (1958-01-07)
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
Election1955 Israeli legislative election
Legislature term3rd Knesset
Predecessor6th cabinet of Israel
Successor8th cabinet of Israel
David Ben Gurion speaking at the Knesset, 1957

The seventh government of Israel was formed by David Ben-Gurion on 3 November 1955 following the July 1955 elections. His coalition included Mapai, the National Religious Front, Mapam, Ahdut HaAvoda, and the Israeli Arab parties, the Democratic List for Israeli Arabs, Progress and Work and Agriculture and Development.

On 17 December 1957 Ben-Gurion accused Ahdut HaAvoda ministers of leaking information about IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Dayan's trip to West Germany to the press and demanded their resignation.[1] The government fell after Ben-Gurion resigned on 31 December 1957 over the issue, but remained in place until Ben-Gurion formed the eighth government a week later.

The Cabinet
Position Person Party
Prime Minister
Minister of Defense
David Ben-Gurion Mapai
Minister of Agriculture Kadish Luz 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 Moshe Sharett (until 19 June 1956)
Golda Meir (after 19 June 1956)
Mapai
Mapai
Minister of Health Israel Barzilai Mapam
Minister of Internal Affairs Israel Bar-Yehuda Ahdut HaAvoda
Minister of Justice Pinchas Rosen Progressive Party
Minister of Labour Golda Meir (until 19 June 1956)
Mordechai Namir (after 19 June 1956)
Mapai
Mapai
Minister of Police Bechor-Shalom Sheetrit Mapai
Minister of Postal Services Yosef Burg National Religious Front
Minister of Religions
Minister of Welfare
Haim-Moshe Shapira National Religious Front
Minister of Trade and Industry Pinhas Sapir Not an MK 1
Minister of Transportation Moshe Carmel Not an MK 2
Minister without Portfolio Peretz Naftali Mapai
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ze'ev Tzur Ahdut HaAvoda
Deputy Minister of Education and Culture Moshe Unna (until 31 December 1957) National Religious Front
Deputy Minister of Religions Zerach Warhaftig (until 28 December 1957) National Religious Front

1 Sapir was elected to the next Knesset as an MK for Mapai.

2 Carmel later joined the third Knesset as an MK for Ahdut HaAvoda.

  1. ^ 1957 timeline Archived 2008-12-03 at the Wayback Machine Jewish Agency for Israel