ABSTRACT
Almost twenty heirs have served in the most senior public positions in Israel over the course: Prime Ministers, chairmen of the Knesset, ministers, deputy ministers, party chairmen, directors of bureaus, and government secretaries. In the new millennium, Israel is led by heirs whose parents were senior party members in their time. Benjamin Netanyahu, who is serving his fourth term as Prime Minister, is the son of Professor Bentzion Netanyahu, secretary and confidant of the founder and leader of Revisionist Zionism, Ze'ev Jabotinsky. Seventeen “full” or “partial” heirs have served in the Knesset. At first, the appellation “heirs” was bestowed only on the children of Irgun and Lehi leaders and MKs representing Herut/Likud. The title “heirs” first cropped up in the public discourse in the 1980s, with the meteoric rise of the sons and daughters of the underground veterans.
