Factional and Government Make-Up of the Sixth Knesset

The Knesset History

The Main Events and Issues During the Sixth Knesset

The MKs restaurant: MK Uri Avneri with guests, 20.12.1966.

The Knesset library: MK Yitzhak Navon reading a journal, 13.12.1966.

The 6th Knesset: The plenum, 6.5.1968

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Factional and Government Make-Up of the Sixth Knesset

Elected on 1 November, 1965.
Speaker: Kadish Luz;
Deputy Speakers: Arie Ben-Eliezer, Ruth Haktin, Yitzhak Navon,
Dvorah Netzer, Tova Sanhedrai, Joseph Selin, Emma Talmi.
Secretary General: Moshe Rosetti (until 29.2.68), Haim Li'or (from 27.3.68).

Name of List Votes in Percentage Number of Seats Number of Seats Before Next Elections

Alignment ¹ 36.7 45 63

Gahal ² 21.3 26 22

National Religious Party 8.9 11 11

Rafi ¹ 7.9 10 0

Mapam ¹ 6.6 8 0

Independent Liberals 3.8 5 4

Agudat Yisrael 3.3 4 4

Rakah 2.3 3 3

Po'alei Agudat Yisrael 1.8 2 2

Kidma Vepituah ³ 1.9 2 1

Shituf Ve-achva ³ 1.3 2 1

Ha-olam Hazeh - Koah Hadash 1.2 1 1

Maki 1.1 1 1

Free Center ² - 0 4

Jewish-Arab Brotherhood ³ - 0 1

Druze Party ³ - 0 1

Single MK - David Ben Gurion ⁴ - 0 1

¹ The first Alignment of Mapai and Ahdut Avoda united with 9 members of Rafi to form the Labor Party. The Labor Party then united with Mapam to form the second Alignment.
² Four MKs split from Gahal and formed the Free Center.
³ Arab minorities lists associated with the Alignment. Kidma Upituah and Shituf Ve'ahva formed one parliamentary group which ended up splitting into four separate groups.
⁴ When Rafi joined the Labor Party, MK David Ben Gurion did not join and remained a single MK.

The thirteenth government was formed by Levi Eshkol, on 12 January, 1966.
The coalition members were: (until June 4, 1967) The Alignment, National Religious Party, Mapam, the Independent Liberal, Po'alei Agudat Yisreal and the minority lists. The number of ministers when the government was formed - 18. On June 5, 1967 (the day of the outbreak of the Six Day War), Gahal and Rafi joined the government. The number of ministers in the National Unity Government - 21. The government ceased to exist when Eshkol passed away on 26 February, 1969.

The fourteenth government was formed by Golda Meir, on 17 March, 1969.
The coalition members were: The Alignment, Gahal, the National Religious Party, the Independent Liberals and the minority lists. The number of ministers in the National Unity Government - 21.