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.