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.
Election results There were around 434,000 valid votes cast in the 1949 election. +Party nameNumber of votesPercentageNumber of seatsMapai155,27435.7%46Mapam64,01814.7%19United Religious Front52,98212.2%16Herut Movement49,78211.5%14General Zionists22,6615.2%7Sephardim and Oriental Communities15,2873.5%4Israel Communist Party15,1483.5%4Democratic List of Nazareth7,3871.7%2Fighter's List5,3631.2%1WIZO5,1731.2%1Yemenite Association4,3991%1
Cabinet First government of IsraelPortfolioMinisterPartyPrime MinisterMinister of DefenseDavid Ben-GurionMapaiMinister of AgricultureMinister of Rationing and SupplyDov YosefMapaiMinister of Education and CultureZalman ShazarMapaiMinister of Foreign AffairsMoshe SharettMapaiMinister of FinanceMinister of Trade and IndustryEliezer KaplanMapaiMinister of HealthMinister of ImmigrationMinister of Internal AffairsHaim-Moshe ShapiraUnited Religious FrontMinister of JusticePinchas RosenProgressive PartyMinister of Labour and Social SecurityGolda MeirMapaiMinister of PoliceBechor-Shalom SheetritSephardim and Oriental CommunitiesMinister of Religions and War VictimsYehuda Leib MaimonUnited Religious FrontMinister of TransportationDavid RemezMapaiMinister of WelfareYitzhak-Meir LevinUnited Religious Front
History and policies 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.The Challenge Of Israel by Misha Louvish. Publisher: Jerusalem Israel Univ Press; 1st Edition (1968) ASIN: B000OKO5U2.
Security policy One of the promises made by Mapai was to sign the 1949 Armistice Agreements, which they duly did. This laid out the foundation for the Green Line, a demarcation line set out in the agreements between the Israeli army and those of its neighbours (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria) after the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It served as the de facto borders of the State of Israel from 1949 until the Six-Day War in 1967, and continues to represent Israel's internationally recognized borders with the two Palestinian territories: the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. During this government, they set out the terms for Israeli conscription.
Economic policy
During the government, austerity policies began, and oversaw a socialist distribution and rationing system. These policies largely came about as Israel had inherited the economy of Mandatory Palestine, which had operated under wartime rationing.
Dissolution 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.https://main.knesset.gov.il/en/about/history/pages/knessethistory.aspx?kns=1
References
External links First Government of Israel Knesset website