Knesset History
Every election to the Knesset from January 25, 1949 to November 1, 2022, every Knesset and government, and the votes that shaped the state.
Overview
- Knesset elections
- 25
- From January 25, 1949 to November 1, 2022
- Governments
- 37
- Led by 14 prime ministers
- Shortest Knesset
- 5 months
- 21st Knesset
- Turnout in 2022
- 70.6%
- Highest 86.9% in 1949; lowest 63.5% in 2006
| Election | Turnout |
|---|---|
| 1949 | 86.9% |
| 1951 | 75.1% |
| 1955 | 82.8% |
| 1959 | 81.6% |
| 1961 | 81.4% |
| 1965 | 83.0% |
| 1969 | 81.2% |
| 1973 | 78.6% |
| 1977 | 79.2% |
| 1981 | 78.5% |
| 1984 | 78.8% |
| 1988 | 79.6% |
| 1992 | 77.4% |
| 1996 | 79.3% |
| 1999 | 78.7% |
| 2003 | 67.8% |
| 2006 | 63.5% |
| 2009 | 64.7% |
| 2013 | 67.8% |
| 2015 | 72.3% |
| Apr 2019 | 68.5% |
| Sep 2019 | 69.8% |
| 2020 | 71.5% |
| 2021 | 67.4% |
| 2022 | 70.6% |
How the seats were shared
The two largest lists won 65 of the 120 seats together in 1949, 95 in 1981 and 56 in 2022.
- Mapai, 46 seatsMapam, 19 seats10 other lists, 55 seats
- Mapai, 45 seatsGeneral Zionists, 20 seats13 other lists, 55 seats
- Mapai, 40 seatsHerut, 15 seats10 other lists, 65 seats
- Mapai, 47 seatsHerut, 17 seats10 other lists, 56 seats
- Mapai, 42 seatsHerut, 17 seats9 other lists, 61 seats
- Alignment, 45 seatsGahal, 26 seats11 other lists, 49 seats
- Alignment, 56 seatsGahal, 26 seats11 other lists, 38 seats
- Alignment, 51 seatsLikud, 39 seats8 other lists, 30 seats
- Likud, 43 seatsAlignment, 32 seats11 other lists, 45 seats
- Likud, 48 seatsAlignment, 47 seats8 other lists, 25 seats
- Alignment, 44 seatsLikud, 41 seats13 other lists, 35 seats
- Likud, 40 seatsAlignment, 39 seats13 other lists, 41 seats
- Labor, 44 seatsLikud, 32 seats8 other lists, 44 seats
- Labor, 34 seatsLikud–Gesher–Tzomet, 32 seats9 other lists, 54 seats
- One Israel, 26 seatsLikud, 19 seats13 other lists, 75 seats
- Likud, 38 seatsLabor–Meimad, 19 seats11 other lists, 63 seats
- Kadima, 29 seatsLabor–Meimad, 19 seats10 other lists, 72 seats
- Kadima, 28 seatsLikud, 27 seats10 other lists, 65 seats
- Likud Yisrael Beiteinu, 31 seatsYesh Atid, 19 seats10 other lists, 70 seats
- Likud, 30 seatsZionist Union, 24 seats8 other lists, 66 seats
- Likud, 35 seatsBlue and White, 35 seats9 other lists, 50 seats
- Blue and White, 33 seatsLikud, 32 seats7 other lists, 55 seats
- Likud, 36 seatsBlue and White, 33 seats6 other lists, 51 seats
- Likud, 30 seatsYesh Atid, 17 seats11 other lists, 73 seats
- Likud, 32 seatsYesh Atid, 24 seats8 other lists, 64 seats
Every election
Turnout is the share of eligible voters who cast a ballot. The lists that passed the threshold shared the seats, and the government shown is the first one the new Knesset approved.
| Election | Turnout | Threshold | Lists elected | Largest list | Government formed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25th Knesset · Official results | 70.6% | 3.25% | 10 | Likud, 32 seats | Benjamin Netanyahu, government 37 |
| 24th Knesset · Official results | 67.4% | 3.25% | 13 | Likud, 30 seats | Naftali Bennett, government 36 |
| 23rd Knesset · Official results | 71.5% | 3.25% | 8 | Likud, 36 seats | Benjamin Netanyahu, government 35 |
| 22nd Knesset · Official results | 69.8% | 3.25% | 9 | Blue and White, 33 seats | None; the outgoing government stayed on |
| 21st Knesset · Official results | 68.5% | 3.25% | 11 | Likud, 35 seats | None; the outgoing government stayed on |
| 20th Knesset · Official results | 72.3% | 3.25% | 10 | Likud, 30 seats | Benjamin Netanyahu, government 34 |
| 19th Knesset · Official results | 67.8% | 2% | 12 | Likud Yisrael Beiteinu, 31 seats | Benjamin Netanyahu, government 33 |
| 18th Knesset · Official results | 64.7% | 2% | 12 | Kadima, 28 seats | Benjamin Netanyahu, government 32 |
| 17th Knesset · Official results | 63.5% | 2% | 12 | Kadima, 29 seats | Ehud Olmert, government 31 |
| 16th Knesset · Official results | 67.8% | 1.5% | 13 | Likud, 38 seats | Ariel Sharon, government 30 |
| 15th Knesset · Official results | 78.7% | 1.5% | 15 | One Israel, 26 seats | Ehud Barak, government 28 |
| 14th Knesset · Official results | 79.3% | 1.5% | 11 | Labor, 34 seats | Benjamin Netanyahu, government 27 |
| 13th Knesset · Official results | 77.4% | 1.5% | 10 | Labor, 44 seats | Yitzhak Rabin, government 25 |
| 12th Knesset · Official results | 79.6% | 1% | 15 | Likud, 40 seats | Yitzhak Shamir, government 23 |
| 11th Knesset · Official results | 78.8% | 1% | 15 | Alignment, 44 seats | Shimon Peres, government 21 |
| 10th Knesset · Official results | 78.5% | 1% | 10 | Likud, 48 seats | Menachem Begin, government 19 |
| 9th Knesset · Official results | 79.2% | 1% | 13 | Likud, 43 seats | Menachem Begin, government 18 |
| 8th Knesset · Official results | 78.6% | 1% | 10 | Alignment, 51 seats | Golda Meir, government 16 |
| 7th Knesset · Official results | 81.2% | 1% | 13 | Alignment, 56 seats | Golda Meir, government 15 |
| 6th Knesset · Official results | 83.0% | 1% | 13 | Alignment, 45 seats | Levi Eshkol, government 13 |
| 5th Knesset · Official results | 81.4% | 1% | 11 | Mapai, 42 seats | David Ben-Gurion, government 10 |
| 4th Knesset · Official results | 81.6% | 1% | 12 | Mapai, 47 seats | David Ben-Gurion, government 9 |
| 3rd Knesset · Official results | 82.8% | 1% | 12 | Mapai, 40 seats | David Ben-Gurion, government 7 |
| 2nd Knesset · Official results | 75.1% | 1% | 15 | Mapai, 45 seats | David Ben-Gurion, government 3 |
| 1st Knesset · Official results | 86.9% | None | 12 | Mapai, 46 seats | David Ben-Gurion, government 1 |
Every Knesset
Basic Law: The Knesset sets a term of four years, marked by the line on each bar. A Knesset serves from its first sitting until the next Knesset's.
- 25th KnessetSince Nov 15, 20223 years, 11 months
- 24th KnessetApr 6, 2021 – Nov 15, 20221 year, 7 months
- 23rd KnessetMar 16, 2020 – Apr 6, 20211 year
- 22nd KnessetOct 3, 2019 – Mar 16, 20205 months
- 21st KnessetApr 30, 2019 – Oct 3, 20195 months
- 20th KnessetMar 31, 2015 – Apr 30, 20194 years
- 19th KnessetFeb 5, 2013 – Mar 31, 20152 years, 1 month
- 18th KnessetFeb 24, 2009 – Feb 5, 20133 years, 11 months
- 17th KnessetApr 17, 2006 – Feb 24, 20092 years, 10 months
- 16th KnessetFeb 17, 2003 – Apr 17, 20063 years, 2 months
- 15th KnessetJun 7, 1999 – Feb 17, 20033 years, 8 months
- 14th KnessetJun 17, 1996 – Jun 7, 19992 years, 11 months
- 13th KnessetJul 13, 1992 – Jun 17, 19963 years, 11 months
- 12th KnessetNov 21, 1988 – Jul 13, 19923 years, 7 months
- 11th KnessetAug 13, 1984 – Nov 21, 19884 years, 3 months
- 10th KnessetJul 20, 1981 – Aug 13, 19843 years
- 9th KnessetJun 13, 1977 – Jul 20, 19814 years, 1 month
- 8th KnessetJan 21, 1974 – Jun 13, 19773 years, 4 months
- 7th KnessetNov 17, 1969 – Jan 21, 19744 years, 2 months
- 6th KnessetNov 22, 1965 – Nov 17, 19693 years, 11 months
- 5th KnessetSep 4, 1961 – Nov 22, 19654 years, 2 months
- 4th KnessetNov 30, 1959 – Sep 4, 19611 year, 9 months
- 3rd KnessetAug 15, 1955 – Nov 30, 19594 years, 3 months
- 2nd KnessetAug 20, 1951 – Aug 15, 19553 years, 11 months
- 1st KnessetFeb 14, 1949 – Aug 20, 19512 years, 6 months
Every government
A government serves from its swearing-in until the next one is sworn in, including any months it stays on after an election. The longest was government 34, under Benjamin Netanyahu: 5 years.
| No. | Prime minister | Sworn in | In office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | Benjamin Netanyahu | 3 years, 9 months so far | |
| 36 | Naftali Bennett, then Yair Lapid | 1 year, 6 months | |
| 35 | Benjamin Netanyahu | 1 year | |
| 34 | Benjamin Netanyahu | 5 years | |
| 33 | Benjamin Netanyahu | 2 years, 1 month | |
| 32 | Benjamin Netanyahu | 3 years, 11 months | |
| 31 | Ehud Olmert | 2 years, 10 months | |
| 30 | Ariel Sharon, then Ehud Olmert | 3 years, 2 months | |
| 29 | Ariel Sharon | 1 year, 11 months | |
| 28 | Ehud Barak | 1 year, 8 months | |
| 27 | Benjamin Netanyahu | 3 years | |
| 26 | Shimon Peres | 6 months | |
| 25 | Yitzhak Rabin, then Shimon Peres | 3 years, 4 months | |
| 24 | Yitzhak Shamir | 2 years, 1 month | |
| 23 | Yitzhak Shamir | 1 year, 5 months | |
| 22 | Yitzhak Shamir | 2 years, 2 months | |
| 21 | Shimon Peres | 2 years, 1 month | |
| 20 | Yitzhak Shamir | 11 months | |
| 19 | Menachem Begin | 2 years, 2 months | |
| 18 | Menachem Begin | 4 years, 1 month | |
| 17 | Yitzhak Rabin | 3 years | |
| 16 | Golda Meir | 2 months | |
| 15 | Golda Meir | 4 years, 2 months | |
| 14 | Golda Meir | 8 months | |
| 13 | Levi Eshkol, then Yigal Allon (acting) | 3 years, 2 months | |
| 12 | Levi Eshkol | 1 year | |
| 11 | Levi Eshkol | 1 year, 5 months | |
| 10 | David Ben-Gurion | 1 year, 7 months | |
| 9 | David Ben-Gurion | 1 year, 10 months | |
| 8 | David Ben-Gurion | 1 year, 11 months | |
| 7 | David Ben-Gurion | 2 years, 2 months | |
| 6 | Moshe Sharett | 4 months | |
| 5 | Moshe Sharett | 1 year, 5 months | |
| 4 | David Ben-Gurion | 1 year, 1 month | |
| 3 | David Ben-Gurion | 1 year, 2 months | |
| 2 | David Ben-Gurion | 11 months | |
| 1 | David Ben-Gurion | 1 year, 7 months |
Landmark votes
Laws and agreements that shaped the state, with the Knesset's tally. Each bar is the 120 seats: for, against, abstaining, and the members who did not vote.
Confidence in the first government
Installed Israel's first elected government, headed by David Ben-Gurion, in place of the Provisional Government.
73 for45 againstAbstentions not recorded
Law of Return
Gave every Jew the right to immigrate to Israel, the basis of the ingathering of the exiles.
Adopted unanimously; no count was recorded
Reparations from Germany
Backed the government's claim for reparations from West Germany for Jewish property looted in the Holocaust and left the next steps to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, after a three-day debate held as thousands protested outside. Direct talks followed, and the Reparations Agreement was signed that September.
61 for50 against5 abstained4 did not vote
State Education Law
Replaced the party-affiliated school streams with state education from the 1953–54 school year, alongside state-religious schools whose way of life, curriculum, teachers and inspectors are religious.
39 for36 againstAbstentions not recorded
Basic Law: The Knesset
The first Basic Law. It set the Knesset as Israel's parliament of 120 members, elected in general, national, direct, equal, secret and proportional elections.
96 for0 againstAbstentions not recorded
Law and Administration Ordinance (Amendment No. 11)
Empowered the government to apply Israeli law, jurisdiction and administration by order to any area of the Land of Israel. The next day it applied them to eastern Jerusalem, reuniting the city after the Six-Day War.
No count was recorded
Camp David Accords
Approved the frameworks for peace that Israel and Egypt agreed at Camp David, including the removal of the Israeli communities in Sinai.
84 for19 against17 abstained
Peace treaty with Egypt
Approved the first peace treaty between Israel and an Arab state. Israel handed back Sinai in stages, completing the withdrawal in 1982.
95 for18 against2 abstained5 did not vote
Basic Law: Jerusalem, Capital of Israel
Declared Jerusalem, complete and united, the capital of Israel and the seat of the President, the Knesset, the Government and the Supreme Court.
69 for15 against3 abstained33 did not vote
Golan Heights Law
Applied Israeli law, jurisdiction and administration to the Golan Heights, held by Israel since the Six-Day War.
63 for21 againstAbstentions not recorded
Economic Stabilization Plan
Backed the government's Economic Stabilization Plan, adopted the day before with a three-month economic emergency, to bring inflation down from an average of 15% a month.
70 for19 against3 abstained28 did not vote
No confidence in the Shamir government
Brought down Yitzhak Shamir's national unity government amid a dispute over U.S. Secretary of State James Baker's peace initiative. Shimon Peres then failed to form a government, and Shamir formed a narrower one in June 1990.
60 for55 against5 did not vote
Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty
Protected life, body, dignity, property, privacy and personal liberty, and anchored Israel's values as a Jewish and democratic state.
32 for21 against1 abstained66 did not vote
Basic Law: The Government
Introduced the direct election of the prime minister, used from 1996.
55 for32 against1 abstained32 did not vote
Oslo Accords
Approved the Declaration of Principles signed with the PLO in Washington, which began a period of Palestinian self-rule, first in Gaza and Jericho.
61 for50 against8 abstained1 did not vote
Peace treaty with Jordan
Approved the peace treaty with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Israel's second with an Arab state.
105 for3 against6 abstained6 did not vote
Interim Agreement (Oslo II)
Approved the interim agreement that extended Palestinian self-rule to the main cities of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank).
61 for59 against
Basic Law: The Government
Replaced the 1992 law and ended the direct election of the prime minister, restoring the parliamentary system used before 1996.
72 for37 against3 abstained8 did not vote
Disengagement Plan
Approved the government's plan to remove every Israeli community and army position from the Gaza Strip and four communities in northern Samaria, carried out in August 2005.
67 for45 against7 abstained1 did not vote
Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People
Declared Israel the nation-state of the Jewish people, in which the right to national self-determination is unique to the Jewish people, and set its flag, emblem, anthem and capital, with Hebrew as the state language.
62 for55 against2 abstained1 did not vote
Dissolution of the 21st Knesset
With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unable to form a government by the deadline, the 21st Knesset dissolved itself about a month after it was sworn in and set a new election for 17 September 2019, the first time Israel held two Knesset elections in one year.
74 for45 against1 did not vote
Peace agreement with the United Arab Emirates
Approved the Abraham Accords treaty of peace and full diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates.
80 for13 against27 did not vote
Confidence in the Bennett–Lapid government
Installed the 36th government, headed by Naftali Bennett with Yair Lapid as alternate prime minister, ending Benjamin Netanyahu's tenure as prime minister since 2009.
60 for59 against1 abstained
Basic Law: The Judiciary (Amendment No. 3)
Barred the courts from reviewing decisions of the government, the prime minister and ministers on grounds of reasonableness. The Supreme Court annulled the amendment on 1 January 2024.
64 for0 against56 did not vote
How these figures work
Election results are the official ones published by the Central Elections Committee and the Knesset, linked from each election. Turnout is the votes cast as a share of eligible voters. The threshold is the share of valid votes a list needed to win seats; the first election had none.
Each Knesset's first sitting and every government with its prime ministers come from the Knesset's open data, read on October 18, 2026. A Knesset's length runs from its first sitting to the next Knesset's; the serving Knesset's runs to that day.
A government's length runs from its swearing-in to the next government's, so it includes the months it stays on after resigning or after an election until a new government is approved. The government formed after an election is the first one sworn in before the next election; where none was, the table says so.
Each landmark vote's tally comes from the record linked beside it. The bar and the tally count the members who voted for, against and abstaining; the rest of the 120 did not vote.