On February 27, 2003, the Government was presented to the Knesset, and on February 28, received the Knesset’s approval (the vote took place 15 minutes after midnight, on February 28, 2003) by a majority of 66 votes for and 48 votes against.

During its establishment, the Government consisted of a coalition of the following:

- Likud (Including Israel BeAliyah which joined the Likud)
- Shinui
- National Religious Party
- National Union

On the day of its establishment, the Government consisted of the following:

ARIEL SHARON    Prime Minister
Minister of Religious Affairs
Minister of Housing and Construction
Minister of Labor and Welfare
Minister of Communications

EHUD OLMERT    Vice Prime-Minister  Minister of Industry and Trade

JOSEPH (TOMMY) LAPID Deputy Prime Minister; Minister of Justice
 
SILVAN SHALOM Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of Foreign Affairs

BENYAMIN ELON Minister of Tourism

TZAHI HANEGBI Minister of Public Security

ELIEZER SANDBERG   Minister of Science and Technology

YISRAEL KATZ Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development

TZIPI LIVNI Minister of Immigrant Absorption

LIMOR LIVNAT Minister of Education, Culture and Sport

AVIGDOR LIEBERMAN   Minister of Transportation

UZI LANDAU Minister without Portfolio

SHAUL MOFAZ    Minister of Defense

YEHUDIT NAOT    Minister of the Environment

DAN NAVEH    Minister of Health

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU  Minister of Finance

GIDEON EZRA    Minister without Portfolio
Responsible for coordination between
the Government and the Knesset

AVRAHAM PORAZ Minister of Interior

JOSEPH I. PARITZKY   Minister of National Infrastructures

MEIR SHEETRIT Minister without Portfolio

On March 3, 2003, the Government decided to add the following Ministers:

NATAN SHARANSKY   Minister without Portfolio
Responsible for Jerusalem Affairs, Social and Diaspora Affairs

EFRAIM EITAM    Minister of Housing and Construction (replacing the Prime Minister)
ZVULUN ORLEV   Minister of Welfar (replacing the Prime Minister)

On March 23, 2003, the Government decided to divide the Ministry of Labor and Welfare so that Labor would be joined to the Minister of Industry and Trade, which would be called the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Welfare, and the field of Welfare would remain in the Ministry of Labor and Welfare, which would be called the Ministry of Welfare.
The division of the ministry was approved by the Knesset on March 26, 2003.

On March 4, 2003 (Article 8) the Prime Minister announced that Minister Natan Sharansky would be the Minister Responsible for Jerusalem Affairs, Social and Diaspora Affairs.

On March 4, 2003 (Article 8) the Prime Minister announced that Minister Gideon Ezra would be the Minister Responsible for coordination between the Government and the Knesset.

On September 29, 2003, the Knesset approved Ehud Olmert’s appointment as Minister of Communication (replacing the Prime Minister) in addition to his position as Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor.

On December 31, 2003, the Ministry of Religious Affairs ceased to exist, and its units were divided among various Government offices.

On June 4, 2004, the Prime Minister decided to dismiss Minister of Transportation Avigdor Lieberman and Minister of Tourism Beyamin Elon for their opposition to the Disengagement Plan, and their statement that they would withdraw from the Government if the Resolution was accepted.

The letter of dismissal was given to Minister Avigdor Lieberman on June 4, 2004 at 10:35 a.m., and the dismissal became valid on June 6, 2004 at 10:35 a.m.

The letter of dismissal was placed on a counter at the office of Minister Benyamin Elon on June 4, 2004 at 4:25 p.m. following unsuccessful efforts to deliver the dismissal letter in person.  The Prime Minister spoke with the minister on the phone and announced his intentions.  The Attorney General stated that in light of the circumstances, it was enough to place the dismissal letter on the counter of the minister’s office in order to fulfill the letter of the law.  As such, the dismissal of Minister Benyamin Elon became valid on June 6, 2004 at 4:25 p.m.

On June 8, 2004, Minister of Housing and Construction Efraim Eitan announced his resignation from the Government due to his opposition to the Government Resolution relating to the disengagement from the Gaza Strip (the Government Resolution was accepted on June 6, 2004).  The resignation became valid on June 10, 2004.

On July 4, 2004, in accordance with Article 24(b) of the Basic Law: Government, the Government appointed, in Government Resolution No. 2169, Minister Meir Sheetrit Acting Minister of Transportation.  Minister Gideon Ezra was appointed Acting Minister of Tourism and Minister Tzipi Livni Acting Minister of Housing and Construction, in addition to her role as Minister of Immigrant Absorption.

On July 11, 2004, prior to the weekly Cabinet Meeting, the Prime Minister dismissed Minister of National Infrastructures, Joseph Paritzsky, in accordance with the request of the Chairman of the Shinui party, Minister Joseph Lapid, due to improper behavior towards his colleague in the party, Minister Avraham Poraz.  The dismissal became valid on Tuesday, July 13, 2004.

The Government resolved in Resolution No. 2258 of July 18, 2004, to appoint MK Ilan Shalgi to the position of Minister of Science and Technology and Minister Modi Zandburg was appointed Minister of National Infrastructures.

The aforementioned appointments were approved by the Knesset on July 19, 2004.

On August 30, 2004, the Government resolved in Resolution No. 2521 to appoint Tzipi Livni Minister of Housing and Construction, Gideon Ezra became Minister of Tourism in addition to his role as Minister Responsible for Coordination between the Government and the Knesset and Meir Sheetrit was appointed Minister of Transportation.  The aforementioned appointments were approved by the Knesset on August 31, 2004.

On September 5, 2004, the Government resolved in Resolution No. 2533 that Minister Tzahi Hanegbi would act as a Minister without Portfolio, and Gideon Ezra would serve as Acting Minister of Internal Security in addition to his role as Minister of Tourism.  The Government further resolved that the Minister of Transportation would also serve as Minister Responsible for Coordination between the Government and the Knesset.  The aforementioned appointments were approved by the Knesset on September 6, 2004.

On October 17, 2004, due to illness, Minister of the Environment Yehudit Naot resigned from the Government.  Her resignation became valid on October 19, 2004.

That same day, October 17, 2004, in accordance with Resolution No. 2624, the Government appointed Minister of Science and Technology Ilan Shalgi, Acting Minister of the Environment.

On October 24, 2004, the Government appointed Minister Ilan Shalgi Minister of the Environment and the Deputy Minister of Internal Security Victor Brailovsky was appointed Minister of Science and Technology.  (The appointments were approved by the Knesset on November 29, 2004).

On October 26, 2004 the Prime Minister dismissed Minister Uzi Landau after the Minister voted against the Government Resolution relating to the Disengagement Plan in the Knesset.  The dismissals became valid on October 28, 2004 at night.

On November 9, 2004, Minister of Welfare Zvulun Orlev resigned.  The resignation became valid on November 11, 2004 at 7:00 p.m.

On November 29, 2004, the Knesset approved the appointment of Minister of Tourism Gideon Ezra to the position of Minister of Internal Security.

On December 1, 2004, the ministers of the Shinui party were dismissed (Ministers Joseph Lapid, Avraham Poraz, Eliezer Sandberg, Ilan Shalgi and Victor Brailovsky) by the Prime Minister in light of their vote against the State Budget 2005 on its first vote.

On December 5, 2004, the Government approved the appointment of Minister Tzipi Livni to Acting Minister of Justice.

On January 10, 2005, the Government approved the addition of ministers from the Labor-Meimad Party to the Government:

Daliah Itzik – Minster of Communications
Benyamin Ben-Eliezer – Minister of National Infrastructures
Isaac Herzog – Minister of Housing and Construction
Matan Vilnai – Minister without Portfolio
Ophir Paz-Pines – Minister of the Interior
Shimon Peres – Minister, Vice Prime Minister
Haim Ramon – Minister without Portfolio
Shalom Simhon – Minister of the Environment

That same day, the Government approved the appointment of MK Avraham Hirchson of the Likud party to the Government as Minister of Tourism, and resolved that Minister Tzipi Livni would serve as Minister of Justice in addition to being Minister of Immigrant Absorption.

The Knesset approved the aforementioned appointments on the same day, in accordance with the suggestion of the Prime Minister.

On May 2, 2005, Minister Natan Sharansky submitted his resignation to the Prime Minister due to the progress in implementing the Disengagement Plan, which he opposes.  His resignation took effect on May 4, 2005.

Minister of Finance, Benjamin Netanyahu submitted his resignation on August 7, 2005 during a Cabinet Meeting following the approval of evacuating settlements (Group A) within the framework of the Plan for Disengagement from Gaza.  The resignation took effect on August 9, 2005 at 15:45.

On August 9, 2005, the Government approved the appointment of Minister Ehud Olmert as Acting Minister of Finance in addition to his position as Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor.

On 28.8.05, the Government approved the appointment of Minister Matan Vilna’i as Acting Minister of Science and Technology.

On 7.11.05, the Government appointed Minister Ehud Olmert Minister of Finance, in addition to his role as Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor, and Minister Matan Vilna’i as Minister of Science and Technology.  The Knesset approved both appointments on the same day.

On 21.11.2005, eight Labor Party Ministers resigned from the Government following MK Amir Peretz’s election as head of the party.

Their resignation became valid on November 23, 2005, and the following Ministers resigned from the Government:

Minister Shimon Peres – Vice Prime Minister
Minister Dalia Itzik – Minister of Communications
Minister Benjamin Ben Eliezer – Minister of National Infrastructures
Minister Ofir Pines-Paz – Minister of the Interior
Minister Isaac Herzog – Minister of Construction and Housing
Minister Shalom Simhon – Minister of the Environment
Minister Matan Vilnai – Minister of Science and Technology
Minister Haim Ramon

On 21.11.2005, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced the establishment of a new party (“Kadima”), and thus left the Likud Faction.

On that same day, - 21.11.2005, the Prime Minister submitted a letter to the State President, in accordance with Clause 29 of the Government Basic Law and announced that there is a majority in the Knesset which is opposed to the Government.

The State President announced to the Prime Minister on 23.11.2005 that he agrees with the publication of an order for dissolving the Knesset. – an order which will only take effect on 8.12.2005 so that elections will be held on 28.3.2006.

The Government’s resignation in accordance with the publication of the order enabled the Prime Minister to appoint additional Ministers without the Knesset’s approval (on the condition that it is after 8.12.2005).
On 18.12.2005, the title of the Minister of Transportation was changed to Minister of Transportation and Road Safety (as part of the implementation of the perennial national plan for road safety – the Sheinin Report).

On Wednesday 04.01.2006 in the evening, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was hurried to the hospital from his home at the Sycamore Ranch to the Hadassah Hospital in Ein Karem, Jerusalem after feeling unwell.

On that same night, at 23:10, a conference call was held between the Government Secretary, the Attorney General and Vice Prime Minister Minister Ehud Olmert.  It was resolved that from that moment (the conference call) all the Prime Minister’s  authorities would be transferred to the Vice Prime Minister, due to the fact that the Prime Minister was temporarily prevented from carrying out his tasks.

The legislative basis for this is in Article 16(b) of the Basic Law: Government, in which it was established that “when the Prime Minister is temporarily prevented from carrying out his tasks, his position will be filled by the Vice Prime Minister”.

On Thursday 05.01.2006, the Government convened for its first meeting headed by Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert with all the Prime Minister’s authorities.  On that same day, a statement was sent to the Knesset that the Prime Minister is temporarily prevented from carrying out his tasks and his authorities were transferred to the Vice Prime Minister.  The announcement to the Knesset was made in accordance with Article 9 (a) (1) of the Government Law 2001.  In addition, on the same day a statement was sent to the “records” system in this regard, in accordance with Article 10 (b), (3) of the Government Law 2001.

On 12.01.2006 Likud Ministers Limor Livnat, Dani Naveh and Israel Katz submitted letters of resignation to Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.  On 13.01.2006 Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom also submitted a letter of resignation from the Government.  The resignation of all the Likud Ministers became valid on 15.01.2006 at noon.  From that date until 18.01.2006 – the date on which new Government Ministers were appointed – Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert filled all the functions of the resigned Ministers.

On 18.01.2006 the Government resolved to appoint the following Members of Knesset to the Government:

MK Ronnie Bar-On to the position of Minister of Science and Technology.
MK Zeev Boim to the position of Minister of Construction and Housing and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
MK Jacob Edry to the position of Minister of Health and Minister for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee.
MK Tzipi Livni to the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, in additions to her positions as Minister of Justice and Minister of Immigrant Absorption.
MK Meir Sheetrit to the position of Minister of Education, Culture and Sport in addition to his position as Minister of Transportation and Road Security.
MK Gideon Ezra to the position of Minister of the Environment in addition to his position as Minister of Internal Security.
MK Abraham Hirchson for the position of Minister of Communications, in addition to his position as Minister of Tourism.

On 28.3.06, the elections for the 17th Knesset were held.

On 14.4.06, 100 days since Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was temporarily unable to fulfill his duties passed.  In accordance with the Basic Law: Government, the Government determined that Minister Ehud Olmert would, starting on 14.4.06, serve as Acting Prime Minister until the appointment of a new Prime Minister.