Politics & Law
A legendary life
Golda Meir
3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978
Israeli stateswoman, independence declaration signatory, and Israel's first woman prime minister.
Her story
A life that changed history
Born Golda Mabovitch in Kyiv, Meir immigrated to the United States as a child and to British-administered Palestine in 1921. She signed Israel's declaration of independence and served as labor minister and foreign minister before becoming prime minister in 1969. Public criticism of the government's lack of preparedness for the 1973 Yom Kippur War contributed to her resignation in 1974.
“Peace is not a favour bestowed by one party upon the other.”
Statement to the Knesset, 5 May 1969