Golda Meir

Born Golda Mabovitch in Kyiv in 1898, Meir emigrated with her family to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1906 before moving to Mandatory Palestine in 1921. A Labor Zionist from her youth, she became one of the founding figures of the State of Israel and was among the 24 women who signed Israel's Declaration of Independence in May 1948.

Meir held a succession of senior posts before becoming Prime Minister. She served as Israel's first ambassador to the Soviet Union (1948–49), Minister of Labour (1949–56), and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1956–66) under David Ben-Gurion and Levi Eshkol. It was during her tenure as foreign minister that she Hebraised her surname to Meir at Ben-Gurion's request.

She became Prime Minister in March 1969 following the sudden death of Levi Eshkol, leading the Alignment (Ma'arakh) coalition. Her premiership is most associated with the Yom Kippur War of October 1973, when Egypt and Syria launched a coordinated surprise attack on Israeli positions in the Sinai and Golan Heights. Although Israel ultimately repulsed the offensive, the intelligence and preparedness failures provoked intense public outrage. The Agranat Commission, established to investigate, largely exonerated Meir and Defense Minister Moshe Dayan of direct responsibility but the political pressure was insurmountable. She resigned in April 1974 and was succeeded by Yitzhak Rabin.

Meir is also remembered for her role in early Israeli diplomacy with African states, for authorising the Mossad operation Wrath of God in response to the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre, and for her oft-quoted, controversial remarks denying a distinct Palestinian national identity. Her 1975 autobiography My Life remains a standard source.

She died of lymphoma in Jerusalem on 8 December 1978. Often dubbed the "Iron Lady" of Israeli politics before that label attached to Margaret Thatcher, Meir remains a polarising but foundational figure in Israeli political history.