(1886-1973) A Jewish Israeli political figure of Polish origin. He immigrated to Palestine in 1906 and became a leader in the Labor Zionist movement. He spent a few years in the United States after the outbreak of World War I and then returned to Palestine as part of the Jewish Legion of the British army. Prior to Israel's establishment, Ben-Gurion served as secretary-general of the Histadrut, a Jewish trade union, and chairman of the Jewish Agency Executive, a provisional government for Jews in Palestine. Announcing Israel's independence in 1948, he became Israel’s longest serving Prime Minister (1948-1953 and 1955-1963) and was a member of the Mapai party, which later became the Labor party. Ben Gurion spearheaded an active campaign to bring Diaspora Jews into Israel and doubled its population in the first five years of its existence. He was largely responsible for forging a strong relationship with the West, especially France, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany. In 1956, Ben-Gurion led Israel, alongside France and the UK, to war with Egypt, in an attempt to lift the siege on cargo traffic from the port at Eilat (See War of 1956). See “David Ben-Gurion.” 8 May 2003. Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 11 November 2011. http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Facts+About+Israel/State/David+Ben-Gurion.htm.  http://www.justvision.org/glossary/ben-gurion-david