When the Labor Party’s Central Committee appointed Golda Meir to become prime minister of Israel on March 17, 1969, the gender aspect wasn’t highlighted. She was the first woman appointed to the position in Israel, replacing Levi Eshkol, who passed away, at a time when the country faced especially serious security challenges including the War of Attrition.
Almost 50 years have passed since then. While women have burst through many important barriers over the past few decades, especially in the judiciary, the economy and even the military, one question remains unanswered: Why hasn’t Israel’s political system produced another Golda?