David Ben-Gurion (Hebrew: דדי בן-גוריון, Ddi Bnei-Gurion) (born David Grün in Zolochiv, Ukraine, 25 March 1886 – died 9 November 1973) was the first Prime Minister of Israel.
He was one of the leaders of early Zionist groups in Turkey and Russia, and became head of the Jewish Agency for Palestine in 1919. He was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1949, serving until 1963. He led Israel to independence in May 1948, only to see it fall to Arab attacks in the June war. He became President after the assassination of Yitzhak Ben-Zvi.
He is regarded as one of the most important figures in modern Middle Eastern history
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He consolidated power over his party, the Labor Party, and the Histadrut trade union federation. He also established close relations with other world leaders that have endured to this day.