The deputies of the prime minister of Israel fall into four categories: Acting Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Vice Prime Minister and Alternate Prime Minister. Vice Prime Minister is an honorary and extra-constitutional position, but entitles the officeholder to a place in the cabinet. Deputy Prime Minister, Designated Acting Prime Minister, and Alternate Prime Minister are constitutional positions.
If the Prime Minister is temporarily incapacitated, both the Acting Prime Minister and the Alternate Prime Minister assume the duties of the prime minister, while the Deputy Prime Minister is an honorary position.
Deputy Prime Minister The position of Deputy Prime Minister (, Segan Rosh HaMemshela) is an honorary title carried by an incumbent Minister in the Israeli Government under the Basic law: the Government, that states the follows: "A minister may be a Deputy Prime Minister" (but no more than that). Thus, there is no limit to the number of deputies a Prime Minister can appoint (as opposed to an Acting Prime Minister, that can only be one).
The post was created in 1963 when Abba Eban was appointed to the position in Levi Eshkol's first government. In 1977 Menachem Begin became the first Prime Minister to have two deputies.
The title was scrapped from 1992 to 1996 during the term of the 13th Knesset, but was resurrected by Benjamin Netanyahu in 1996 when he appointed four Deputies. In Ehud Olmert's cabinet there were three, one from his own party, and the leaders of the two next largest parties in his coalition (Labour and Shas). The former cabinet led by Netanyahu again had four deputy PMs, one from Netanyahu's own Likud party and one each from coalition partners Shas, Independence, and Yisrael Beiteinu. The 36th cabinet, led by Naftali Bennett, had two: Benny Gantz and Gideon Sa'ar.
David Levy has had three spells as Deputy PM; from 1977 until 1992 and then again from 1996 to 1998 and 1999–2000. Each term was with a different party, Likud, Gesher and One Israel respectively.
Provision Basic Law: the Government (2001): 5. (e) A Minister may be Deputy Prime Minister.
List of deputy prime ministers GovernmentNamePartyDates in office3Eliezer KaplanMapai – 11–12Abba EbanMapai – 13–17Yigal AllonAlignment – 18Simha ErlikhLikud – Yigael YadinDash, Democratic Movement, Independent19Simha ErlikhLikud – David LevyLikud – 20David LevyLikud – 21–23David LevyLikud – Yitzhak NavonAlignment24David LevyLikud – Moshe NissimLikud27David LevyGesher – Zevulon HammerNational Religious Party – Rafael EitanTzomet – Moshe KatsavLikud28Yitzhak MordechaiCentre Party – David LevyOne Israel – Binyamin Ben-EliezerOne Israel – 29Shimon PeresLabour – Silvan ShalomLikud – Natan SharanskyYisrael BaAliyahEli YishaiShas – – 30Tommy LapidShinui – Silvan ShalomLikud – 31Amir PeretzLabour – Avigdor LiebermanYisrael Beiteinu – Shaul MofazKadima – Eli YishaiShasEhud BarakLabour – 32Avigdor LiebermanYisrael Beiteinu – Ehud BarakLabour, Independence – Dan MeridorLikudEli YishaiShas36Gideon Sa'arNew Hope – Benny GantzBlue and White – 37Yariv Levin Likud –
Acting Prime Minister The designated Acting Prime Minister (, Memaleh Mekom Rosh HaMemshala lit. "Prime Minister's Place Holder", or "Prime Minister's stand-in") takes the role of Prime Minister as Acting Prime Minister, for up to 100 consecutive days, if the incumbent is temporarily incapacitated. Whilst in other countries the term "Acting Prime Minister" only refers to an individual actually performing the role, in Israel the term is also in use when a designated minister is allocated, even if they never actually perform the role. The incumbent minister must be also a Knesset member to be eligible for this role.
According to the Basic law: the Government, if such a position was not held by any of the incumbent ministers, in the event of the Prime Minister being unable to fulfill their duties temporarily, the cabinet would vote to appoint one of their own members, who is a Knesset member, as Acting Prime Minister for up to 100 consecutive days.
In the 2021 government of Benjamin Netanyahu, there was no designated Acting Prime Minister. Netanyahu appointed one of the ministers from his party as Acting Prime Minister each time he was supposed to undergo a medical procedure under sedationNetanyahu, 69, undergoes medical check under sedation, briefly replaced by Elkin, The Times of Israel, 9 November 2018 or visits other countries.Miri Regev appointed acting PM while Netanyahu abroad, Raoul Wootliff, The Times of Israel, 14 June 2017Netanyahu warns: Iran trying to turn Lebanon into one giant missile factory, Itamar Eichner, Ynet, 29 January 2018
There can be only one designated minister appointed to such position. However, the holder of this ministry position can hold other ministerial position, as the most recent designated Acting Prime Minister, Tzipi Livni, was also Minister of Foreign Affairs. Confusingly, the term is sometimes referred to as 'Vice Prime Minister' in English,Tzipi Livni Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs though a separate and different Vice Prime Minister role already exists. However, the Hebrew titles of the two posts were always distinct, and the official role of Designated Acting Prime Minister is older than the extra-legal, honorary title of Vice Prime Minister. If the Prime Minister is abroad, the designated minister summons the government to cabinet meetings; if there is no such designated minister, in such event, the government will vote for one.
If the Prime Minister wants to replace the designated Acting Prime Minister (usually given to one of the Ministers designated during the forming of the government according to coalition agreements and political needs at the time), he then needs the approval vote of the government and the Knesset. However, the Prime Minister may fire the designated Acting Prime Minister, as he is authorized to fire any minister in his Cabinet.
An Acting Prime Minister will be standing-in for the incumbent (not assume office), acting in the Prime Minister's office, temporarily, and if a designated minister was allocated in advance, automatically, all while the incumbent is in office. However, any Acting Prime Minister will not assume office, automatically (as Interim Prime Minister), after 100 consecutive days, when the Prime Minister, legally, is deemed to be permanently incapacitated, since the "100 consecutive days" was set by law as a limit, not a delegated authority, inasmuch limit for the incumbent to be temporarily incapacitated in office and a limit for the Acting Prime Minister to act in the Incumbent's office.
The aftermath of any event, where the incumbent becomes permanently incapacitated (either declared as such or the "100 consecutive days" limit expired or else), as well as in the event of the incumbent's death or the incumbent was convicted of an offence, are addressed by the law separately. In these cases, the Government that is "deemed to have resigned" to become an interim government, and with the absence of a Prime Minister in office, requires a cabinet vote on one of its members (either the Acting Prime Minister or else) who must be a Knesset member and (from the 2001 law) a member of the Prime Minister's Party as well, to assume office as an Interim Prime Minister, until a new government is placed in power (the 1968 law did not impose time limit on a "temporarily incapacitation" period of the Incumbent Prime Minister, but rather pending the return of the incumbent to resume his duties, and separately addressed only the event of death of the incumbent, while failing to address Permanent incapacitation or criminal conviction of the Incumbent Prime Minister).
Ehud Olmert, after standing-in for Prime Minister Sharon for 100 consecutive days, as acting Prime Minister, did not automatically assume office as an Interim Prime Minister. The Government voted to appoint him, and in addition, he was also a member of Prime Minister's Party, which enabled them to appoint him to the roleCabinet Secretary Statement after the Cabinet meeting on 11 April 2006 (English)
Practically, the use of this position started only 1984 during the 11th Knesset, with the first person to hold the position, Yitzhak Shamir, taking office on 13 September 1984. A Coalition deal between the Labour Alignment and Likud stipulated that Shimon Peres would be Prime Minister for the first two years of the Knesset term (out of four years), with Yitzhak Shamir serving as the designated Acting Prime Minister, and then swap places with Shamir for the next two. The major political parties, right-wing Likud party, then headed by Yitzhak Shamir, and Labour, then headed by Shimon Peres, did not gain enough seats in parliament, during the general election, to form a governing majority coalition, which enabled this coalition agreement to take place. The deal was continued into the 12th Knesset, but collapsed in 1990. The role of the designated Acting Prime Minister was limited and unattractive for any chairman of major party aspiring to get the top job.
The position was resurrected in 2003, with Ariel Sharon appointing Ehud Olmert to the post. As designated Acting Prime Minister, Olmert was called to take over the running of the government, following Sharon's stroke in the midst of elections season of early 2006, and continued his role as Acting Prime Minister, after the election were held, and after Sharon & Olmert's Party were designated to form the new government.Katsav asks Olmert to form a government, Globes, 6 April 2006 Days after the election, Sharon reached the 100 consecutive days of Incapacitation (making him legally permanently incapacitated), and then the pre-elections Interim government voted on Olmert to be the Interim Prime Minister, and he fully assumed office as an Interim Prime Minister, just days before forming his own new government, in the aftermath of the election, on 4 May 2006, to become the official Prime Minister. Tzipi Livni then was appointed to the post, in Olmert's Government.
Main provisions Basic Law: the Government (2001):Basic Law: The Government (2001) – English, the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) website, official translations – NOTE: The 2001 Law, which is in effect, present all provision in the translation, however, there are some lines missing. It is recommended to use the Hebrew laws official publications in the Knesset website . 5. (d) One of the Ministers who is a member of Knesset may be designated as Acting Prime Minister. 16. (a) Should the Prime Minister be absent from Israel, meetings of the Government will be convened and conducted by the designated Acting Prime Minister. 16. (b) Should the Prime Minister be temporarily unable to discharge his duties, his place will be filled by the Acting Prime Minister. After the passage of 100 days upon which the Prime Minister does not resume his duties, the Prime Minister will be deemed permanently unable to exercise his office. 16. (c) Failing the appointment of a designated Acting Prime Minister, or should the Acting Prime Minister be prevented from fulfilling his duties under sections (a) and (b) above, the Government shall designate another Minister, who is a Knesset MemberThe official English Translation of Basic Law: the Government (2001) of the Knesset website fails to mention that in this case the minister needs also to be a member of the Knesset, see the Hebrew official publication of the 2001 law to exercise that office. 20. (b) Should the Prime Minister be permanently incapacitated, the Government shall be deemed to have resigned on the 101st day [100th day midnight] during which the Acting Prime Minister served in his place.