Worldwide Guide to Women in Leadership
State of Israel/ Medina Yisrael/Isra’il (Female suffrage 1948, although Jewish women wonted for the Assembly of the Elected in 1920) Established as a state in 1948

Also see Israel Heads, Israel Parliament and Israel Parties

1949-56 Minister of Labour Golda Meïr
1949-52 Minister of Social Affairs
1956-64 Minister of Foreign Affairs
1969-74 Premier Minister
In 1948-49 Ambassador to USSR, 1964-68 Secretary General and 1969-74 Leader of Labour. When she became Foreign Minister her surname was hebrewnized from Meyerson to Meir. She was born in Russia as Golda Mabovic and later immigrated to USA. Mother of 2, she lived (1898-1978).

1963-69 Cabinet Secretary Yael Uzai
The Cabinet Secretary acts as Spokesperson for the government and manages its weekly meetings. She lived (1920-2013).

1974 Minister without Portfolio for Human Rights Shulamit Aloni  
1992-93 Minister of Education and Culture
1992-96 Member of The National Security Council
1993 Minister without Portfolio
1993-96 Minister of Communication, Science and Art
She founded and was Chairperson of Civil Rights Party/Ratz 1963-65 and 1973-95, Member of the Knesset 1974-96. And she was Second in Cabinet 1995-96. Mother of 3 and lived (1929-2014).

1981-84 Deputy Minister of Education and Culture Miriam Glasser-Tassa
Member of the Etzel underground movement. School principal for 25 years. MK 1981-88. Mother of three (b. 1929-).

1983-84 Minister without Portfolio Sara Doron
Chairperson of the Likud Knesset-Group 1984-92, and former member of the City Council of Tel Aviv. Founding member of the Liberal party. MK 1977-92. Mother of one. She lived (1922-2010).

1984-86 Deputy Minister of Health Shoshana Arbeli-Almoslino
1986-89 Minister of Health
Deputy Speaker of Knesset 1977-81. and 1989. Immigrated to Israel from Iraq in 1947. MK in 1965-92 and chaired numerous committees. She lived (1926-2016).

1990-92 Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Geula Cohen
Also known as Golla, she was a a prominent member of the 1940s underground group Lehi, Co-founder and since 1978 co-leader of the Tehiya Zionist Revival Movement, but in 1992 she returned to the Likud Party. MK 1974-92. Her son Tzahi Hanegbi has been member of various governments. (b. 1925-).

1992 Minister of Environment Ora Namir
1993-96 Minister of Labour and Social Affairs
Officer in Israel Defence Forces during the War of Independence, former clerk of the Mapai Knesset Faction and later Chairperson of various Knesset-Committees in the period 1973-96, 1996-2000 Ambassador to China and Mongolia. Her late husband, Mordechai Namir was both Minister and Mayor of Tel Aviv. (b. 1930-).

1992-96 Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry Masha Lublesky
Former Secretary General of the Na’amat Movement. In 1996-99 advisor to the minister of Internal Security on violence against women. Mother of two. (b. 1936-).

1996-99 Minister of Communications and Minister for Women’s Rights Limor Livnat
2001-06 Minister of Education
2002-06 Minister of Culture and Sports
2002-03 Minister of Science
2009-15 Minister of Culture and Sports
Likud MK 1992-2015, Deputy Chairperson of the Likud World Movement. In 2001 she had widely been expected to have been appointed Minister of  Internal Security. Candidate for the Chairmanship of the Party in 2005 after Ariel Sharon left to form Kadima. Mother of 2. (b. 1950-).

1999-2001 Minister of Environment Dalia Itzik
2001-02 Minister of Trade and Industry
2005 Minister of Communication
2007 Acting President (25.01-15.07)
Former Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem in charge of Education, Labour Member of the Knesset 1992-2005, Group Chairperson of Labour 2003-05 and Acting Leader of the Oppostion in 2003, joined Kadima, a new party formed by Ariel Sharon in 2006 and Speaker of the Knesset 2006-09. She became Acting President when the President Moshe Katsaw on his own request was temporary suspended after the Attorney General announced that he would charge the president with offences including rape, obstruction of justice and fraud, on 1. July he resigned and she continued in her role until his successor took office. Chairperson of the Kadima Knesset Group 2009-13 and Presidential Candidate in 2014. Mother of 3. (b. 1952-).

1999-2001 Minister of Immigrant Absorption Yulli Tamir
2006-09 Minister of Education
2006-07 Acting Minister of Science, Technology, Culture and Sports (November-)
MK for Labour 2003-10 and Deputy Knesset Speaker 2009-10. Divorced and mother of 2. (b. 1954-).

1999-2000 and 2005-06 Deputy Minister of Immigrant Absorption Marina Solodkin
Immigrated to Israel from Russia in 1991 and has been a member of the Knesset since 1996 for the Russian Immigrant Party 1996-2005 until she joined Kadima. In 2006 Tzipi Livni assigned all the duties of the Ministry to her, when she was appointed Foreign Minister. The desition by Prime Minister Olmert not to include her - or another member of the Russian Immigrant Community - in the cabinet has caused a grat uproar. Mother of 2. (b. 1952-).

1999-2001 Spokesperson of the Government Merav Parsi-Zaddok

2001 Minister of Regional Cooperation Tzipi Livni
2001-02 Minister without Portfolio in the Prime Minister's Office for Information
2002-03 Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development
2003-06 Minister of Immigrant Absorption
2004-05 Minister of Construction and Housing
2004-05 Acting Minister of Justice
2005-06 Minister of Justice (Until April)
2006-09 Minister of Foreign Affairs
2006-09 1. Deputy Prime Minister
2006-07 Minister of Justice
2008 Charged with the formation of a government
2013-14 Minister of Justice
MK for Likud 1999 until 2005 when she joined Kadima, a new party formed by Ariel Sharon. Party Leader 2008-12 until she was not re-elected in the party primaries and subsequently left the Knesset. Charged with the formation of a new government 23 September-26. October 2008. Acting Prime Minister on various occasions whenever the chief of government was out of the country. In 2009 her party became the largest but the right-wing had the majority in the Parliament. Leader of Hatnua Birshut from 2012. Her father was a Likud MK for many years. Mother of 2. (b. 1958-).

2001-02 Deputy Minister of Defence Dalia Rabin-Pelossof
MK of the Center Party and later joined Labour, 1999-2003. She was daughter of the murdered Premier-Minister Izak Rabin. Divorced and mother of 2. (b. 1950-).

2001-02 Deputy Minister of National Infrastructure Naomi Blumenthal
MK for Likud 1992-2006 and chair of various committees. Dismissed in 2002 because of financial irregularities in her primary elections campaign. Mother of 3. (b. 1943-).

2002 Deputy Minister of Transportation Sofa Landver
2009-15 and 2016- Minister of Immigration Absorption
An immigrant from Russia, she was a Labour MK 1996-2003 and MK for the extreme rightwing Israel Beytenu Party since 2006. Deputy Speaker of the Knesset 1999-2002. Mother of one. (b. 1949-).