Golda Meir
Golda Meir (née Mabovitch; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was an Israeli politician who served as the fourth prime minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974. She was Israel's first and only female head of government and the first in the Middle East.
Golda Meir | |
|---|---|
גולדה מאיר | |
Meir in 1964 | |
| 4th Prime Minister of Israel | |
| In office 17 March 1969 – 3 June 1974 | |
| President | Zalman Shazar Ephraim Katzir |
| Preceded by | Yigal Allon (interim) |
| Succeeded by | Yitzhak Rabin |
| Leader of Labor Party | |
| In office 17 March 1969 – 13 June 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Levi Eshkol |
| Succeeded by | Yitzhak Rabin |
| Minister of Interior | |
| In office 16 July 1970 – 1 September 1970 | |
| Prime Minister | Herself |
| Preceded by | Haim-Moshe Shapira |
| Succeeded by | Yosef Burg |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 18 June 1956 – 12 January 1966 | |
| Prime Minister | David Ben-Gurion Levi Eshkol |
| Preceded by | Moshe Sharett |
| Succeeded by | Abba Eban |
| Minister of Labour | |
| In office 10 March 1949 – 19 June 1956 | |
| Prime Minister | David Ben-Gurion Moshe Sharett |
| Preceded by | Mordechai Bentov |
| Succeeded by | Mordechai Namir |
| Member of the Knesset for Labor Party | |
| In office 23 January 1968 – 3 June 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Isaac Rabin |
| Member of the Knesset for Mapai | |
| In office 12 February 1949 – 23 January 1968 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Golda Mabovitch 3 May 1898 Kiev, Russian Empire |
| Died | 8 December 1978 (aged 80) West Jerusalem |
| Political party | Mapai (before 1968) Labor Party (1968–1978) |
| Other political affiliations | Alignment (1969–1978) |
| Spouse |
Morris Meyerson
(m. 1917; died 1951) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Milwaukee State Normal School |
| Signature | |
Born into a Ukrainian-Jewish family in Kiev in what was then the Russian Empire, Meir immigrated with her family to the United States in 1906. She graduated from the Milwaukee State Normal School and found work as a teacher. While in Milwaukee, she embraced the Labor Zionist movement. In 1921, Meir and her husband immigrated to Mandatory Palestine, settling in Merhavia, later becoming the kibbutz's representative to the Histadrut. In 1934, she was elevated to the executive committee of the trade union. Meir held several key roles in the Jewish Agency during and after World War II. She was a signatory of the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. Meir was elected to the Knesset in 1949 and served as Labor Minister until 1956, when she was appointed Foreign Minister by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. She retired from the ministry in 1966 due to ill health.
In 1969, Meir assumed the role of prime minister following the death of Levi Eshkol. Early in her tenure, she made multiple diplomatic visits to western leaders to promote her vision of peace in the region. The outbreak of the Yom Kippur War in 1973 caught Israel off guard and inflicted severe early losses on the army. The resulting public anger damaged Meir's reputation and led to an inquiry into the failings. Her Alignment coalition was denied a majority in the subsequent legislative election; she resigned the following year and was succeeded as prime minister by Yitzhak Rabin. Meir died in 1978 of lymphoma and was buried on Mount Herzl.
A controversial figure in Israel, Meir has been lionized as a founder of the state and described as the "Iron Lady" of Israeli politics, but also widely blamed for the country being caught by surprise during the war of 1973. In addition, her dismissive statements towards the Palestinians were widely scorned. Most historians believe Meir was more successful as Secretary of Labor and Housing than as Premier.