Prime Minister of Israel

The prime minister of Israel (Hebrew: רֹאשׁ הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה‎, Rosh HaMemshala, lit. Head of the Government, Hebrew acronym: רה״מ‎; Arabic: رئيس الحكومة‎, Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma) is the head of government and chief executive of Israel.

Israel is a republic with a president as head of state. However, the president's powers are largely ceremonial; the prime minister holds the executive power. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Aghion, is in Jerusalem. The current prime minister is Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud, the ninth person to hold the position (excluding caretakers).

Following an election, the president nominates a member of the Knesset to become prime minister after asking party leaders whom they support for the position. The nominee has 42 days to put together a viable coalition. He then presents a government platform and must receive a vote of confidence from the Knesset to become prime minister. In practice, the prime minister is usually the leader of the largest party in the governing coalition. Between 1996 and 2001, the prime minister was directly elected, separately from the Knesset.

Unlike most prime ministers in parliamentary republics, the prime minister is both de jure and de facto chief executive. This is because the Basic Laws of Israel explicitly vest executive power in the government, of which the prime minister is the leader.