From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Leader of the Opposition (Israel)

Parliamentary position in the Knesset

Field	Value
post	Leader of the Opposition
native_name
Rosh Ha-Opozitzya
insigniasize	115px
insigniacaption	Logo of the largest opposition party
image	Yair Lapid (D1237-011).jpg
imagesize	150px
incumbent	Yair Lapid
incumbentsince	2 January 2023
first	Meir Ya'ari
termlength	While leader of the largest political party in the Knesset that is not in government

Rosh Ha-Opozitzya

In Israel, the Leader of the Opposition (, Rosh HaOpozitzya) is the politician who leads the Official Opposition in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. The Leader of the Opposition is, by convention, the leader of the largest political party in the Knesset that is not in (or supports) the government.

History

Informal role, until 2000

Until 2000, the role of the Opposition Leader was not an official position, but rather an honorary role. The Leader of the Opposition was the leader of the largest party not in government.

Even with the absence of a law defining the role of the Opposition Leader, it was customary for the Prime Minister to hold regular meetings with the leader of the largest opposition party. However, this was done only at the prerogative of the Prime Minister.

Formalised role, post-2000

In early 2000, two bills to amend the Opposition Leader's status were submitted to the Knesset, one by the government and one by MK Uzi Landau. The bills were merged into one amendment, and on 17 July 2000, the Knesset approved Amendment 8 to the "Knesset Law" of 1994, adding chapter 6 that outlined the role of the Leader of the Opposition. The law stipulates the selection of the Opposition Leader, the method of their replacement, regulates their ceremonial role in various official events, and obliges the prime minister to update them once a month. The law also stipulates that the Opposition Leader's salary will be determined by Knesset committee, and shall not be lower than a salary of a Cabinet minister.

List of Opposition leaders

Leaders of the largest opposition party

Name
(Birth–Death)	Portrait	Party	Term start	Term end	Government(s)
opposed	Prime minister(s)
opposed	Knesset
Mapam}}; color:white;"	1	Meir Ya'ari
(1897–1987)	[[File:Yaari.jpg	80px]]	Mapam	10 March 1949	8 October 1951	1	David Ben-Gurion
(Mapai)
2
2	Peretz Bernstein
(1890–1971)	[[File:Peretz Bernstein.jpg	80px]]	General Zionists	nowrap	8 October 1951	nowrap	24 December 1952	3	2nd
Mapam}}; color:white;"	(1)	Meir Ya'ari
(1897–1987)	[[File:Yaari.jpg	80px]]	Mapam	24 December 1952	29 June 1955	4
5	Moshe Sharett
(Mapai)
(2)	Peretz Bernstein
(1890–1971)	[[File:Peretz Bernstein.jpg	80px]]	General Zionists	nowrap	29 June 1955	nowrap	3 November 1955	6
Herut}}; color:white;"	3	Menachem Begin
(1913–1992)	[[File:Menachem Begin (990044423610205171) (cropped).jpg	80px]]	Herut	3 November 1955	5 June 1967	7	David Ben-Gurion
(Mapai)
8
9	4th
10	5th
11	Levi Eshkol
(Mapai 1963–1966;
Mapai/Labor Alignment 1966–1967)
12
Gahal
Herut	13	6th
Agudat Yisrael}}; color:white;"	4	Yitzhak-Meir Levin
(1893–1971)	[[File:Yitzhak Meir Levin.jpg	80px]]	Agudat Yisrael	5 June 1967	6 August 1970	14	Golda Meir
(Labor/Alignment)
15	7th
Herut}}; color:white;"	(3)	Menachem Begin
(1913–1992)	[[File:Arrival Ceremony for State Visit of Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel on South Lawn (cropped).jpg	80px]]	Gahal
Herut	6 August 1970	20 June 1977
Likud
Herut
16	8th
17	Yitzhak Rabin
(Labor/Alignment)
Israeli Labor Party}}; color:white;"	5	Shimon Peres
(1923–2016)	[[File:Shimon Peres (1986).jpg	80px]]	Alignment
Labor Party	20 June 1977	13 September 1984	18	Menachem Begin
(Herut/Likud
19	10th
20	Yitzhak Shamir
(Herut/Likud)
Tehiya}}; color:white;"	6	Yuval Ne'eman
(1925–2006)	[[File:Yuval neeman (cropped).jpg	80px]]	Tehiya-Tzomet
Tehiya	13 September 1984	22 December 1988	21	Shimon Peres
(Labor/Alignment)
22	Yitzhak Shamir
(Herut/Likud 1986–1988;
Likud 1988–1992
Tehiya
Ratz (political party)}}; color:white;"	7	Shulamit Aloni
(1928–2014)	[[File:Shulamit Aloni.jpg	80px]]	Ratz	nowrap	22 December 1988	nowrap	15 March 1990	23	12th
Israeli Labor Party}}; color:white;"	(5)	Shimon Peres
(1923–2016)	[[File:Shimon Peres 1994.jpg	80px]]	Alignment
Labor Party	15 March 1990	February 1992	24
Labor Party
Israeli Labor Party}}; color:white;"	8	Yitzhak Rabin
(1922–1995)	[[File:Primary Elections in The Israeli Labour Party, 1992 II Dan Hadani Archive.jpg	80px]]	nowrap	February 1992	nowrap	13 July 1992
Likud}}; color:white;"	9	Yitzhak Shamir
(1915–2012)	[[File:Flickr - Government Press Office (GPO) - HADERA ABSORPTION CENTER (cropped).jpg	80px]]	Likud	nowrap	13 July 1992	nowrap	24 March 1993	25	Yitzhak Rabin
(Labor)
Likud}}; color:white;"	10	Benjamin Netanyahu
(born 1949)	[[File:Flickr - Government Press Office (GPO) - P.M. Benjamin Netanyahu (crop).jpg	80px]]	24 March 1993	18 June 1996
26	Shimon Peres
(Labor)
Likud-Gesher-Tzomet
Likud
Israeli Labor Party}}; color:white;"	(5)	Shimon Peres
(1923–2016)	[[File:Shimon Peres 1999.jpg	80px]]	Labor Party	nowrap	18 June 1996	nowrap	1 July 1997	27	Benjamin Netanyahu
(Likud)
Israeli Labor Party}}; color:white;"	11	Ehud Barak
(born 1942)	[[File:Ehud Barak Face.jpg	80px]]	Labor Party	1 July 1997	6 July 1999
One Israel
Labor Party
Likud}}; color:white;"	12	Ariel Sharon
(1928–2014)	[[File:Ariel Sharon 2001.jpg	80px]]	Likud	nowrap	6 July 1999	nowrap	30 July 2000	28	Ehud Barak
(Labor)

Designated Opposition Leaders

After Amendment 8 to the "Knesset law" of 1994 was passed, the Leader of the Opposition became an official position held by the leader of the largest faction within the opposition.

Name
(Birth–Death)	Portrait	Party	Term start	Term end	Government(s)
opposed	Prime minister(s)
opposed	Knesset
Likud}}; color:white;"	12	Ariel Sharon
(1928–2014)	[[File:Ariel Sharon 2001.jpg	80px]]	Likud	nowrap	31 July 2000	nowrap	7 March 2001	28	Ehud Barak
(Labor)
Meretz}}; color:white;"	13	Yossi Sarid
(1940–2015)	[[File:Yossi Sarid.JPG	80px]]	Meretz	nowrap	7 March 2001	nowrap	4 November 2002	29	Ariel Sharon
(Likud 2001–2005;
Kadima 2005–2006)
Israeli Labor Party}}; color:white;"	14	Binyamin Ben-Eliezer
(1936–2016)	[[File:סיור שר הביטחון בנימין בן אליעזר בחיל האוויר (cropped).jpg	80px]]	Labor Party	4 November 2002	12 March 2003
30	16th
Israeli Labor Party}}; color:white;"	15	Amram Mitzna
(born 1945)	[[File:Amram Mitzna.jpg	80px]]	Labor-Meimad
Labor Party	nowrap	12 March 2003	nowrap	13 May 2003
Israeli Labor Party}}; color:white;"	16	Dalia Itzik
(born 1952)
[[File:Dalya itzik.jpg	80px]]	nowrap	13 May 2003	nowrap	25 June 2003
Israeli Labor Party}}; color:white;"	(5)	Shimon Peres
(1923–2016)	[[File:Shimon Peres by David Shankbone.jpg	80px]]	nowrap	25 June 2003	nowrap	10 January 2005
Shinui}}; color:white;"	17	Yosef Lapid
(1931–2008)	[[File:Tommy Lapid (00360860).jpg	80px]]	Shinui	nowrap	10 January 2005	nowrap	23 November 2005
Israeli Labor Party}}; color:white;"	18	Amir Peretz
(born 1952)	[[File:Amir Peretz, 2006.jpg	80px]]	Labor-Meimad
Labor Party	nowrap	23 November 2005	nowrap	16 January 2006
Likud}}; color:white;"	(10)	Benjamin Netanyahu
(born 1949)	[[File:Benjamin Netanyahu portrait.jpg	80px]]	Likud	nowrap	16 January 2006	17 April 2006
nowrap	17 April 2006	31 March 2009	31	Ehud Olmert
(Kadima)	17th
Kadima}}; color:white;"	19	Tzipi Livni
(born 1958)	[[File:Tzipi Livni 2.JPG	80px]]	Kadima	nowrap	6 April 2009	nowrap	2 April 2012	32	Benjamin Netanyahu
(Likud)
Kadima}}; color:white;"	20	Shaul Mofaz
(born 1948)	[[File:Shaul Mofaz.jpg	80px]]	Kadima	nowrap	2 April 2012	nowrap	9 May 2012
Israeli Labor Party}}; color:white;"	21	Shelly Yachimovich
(born 1960)	[[File:שלי.jpg	80px]]	Labor Party	nowrap	9 May 2012	nowrap	23 July 2012
Kadima}}; color:white;"	(20)	Shaul Mofaz
(born 1948)	[[File:Shaul Mofaz.jpg	80px]]	Kadima	nowrap	23 July 2012	nowrap	5 February 2013
Israeli Labor Party}}; color:white;"	(21)	Shelly Yachimovich
(born 1960)	[[File:שלי.jpg	80px]]	Labor Party	5 February 2013	25 November 2013
33	19th
Israeli Labor Party}}; color:white;"	22	Isaac Herzog
(1960–)	[[File:Isaac Herzog 2004.JPG	80px]]	25 November 2013	14 May 2015
Zionist Union
Labor Party
nowrap	14 May 2015	nowrap	31 July 2018	34	20th
Hatnuah}}; color:white;"	(19)	Tzipi Livni
(born 1958)	[[File:Tzipi Livni (38130112).jpg	80px]]	Zionist Union
Hatnuah	nowrap	1 August 2018	nowrap	1 January 2019
Israeli Labor Party}}; color:white;"	(21)	Shelly Yachimovich
(born 1960)	[[File:שלי.jpg	80px]]	Labor Party	1 January 2019	30 April 2019
21st
22nd
	Vacant de jure, Benny Gantz de facto	nowrap	30 April 2019	nowrap	17 May 2020
23	Yair Lapid
(born 1963)	[[File:Yair Lapid 2021 (cropped).jpg	80px]]	Yesh Atid	nowrap	17 May 2020	nowrap	6 April 2021	35	23rd
(10)	Benjamin Netanyahu
(born 1949)	[[File:Benyamin Netanyahu, Aug. 2019 (48598784726) (cropped) 2.jpg	80px]]	Likud	nowrap	28 June 2021	nowrap	29 December 2022	36	Naftali Bennett
(Yamina/New Right)
Yair Lapid
(Yesh Atid)
(23)	Yair Lapid
(born 1963)	[[File:Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid in November 2023 - (53307089636) (cropped).jpg	80px]]	Yesh Atid	nowrap	2 January 2023	nowrap	Present	37		Benjamin Netanyahu
(Likud)

References

[https://main.knesset.gov.il/EN/mk/Pages/HeadOfOpposition.aspx Leader of the Opposition] Knesset
(2014). "Leader of the Opposition".

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

government-of-israel politics-of-israel leaders-of-the-opposition lists-of-members-of-the-knesset leaders-of-the-opposition-(israel)

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Leader of the Opposition (Israel) — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report