first held the office 1974–77, and then again 1992–1995. Since Rabin first took office, there have been four other sabra Prime Ministers: the current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the first sabra Prime Minister to have been born in the modern state after Israel's declaration of independence in 1948; he first took office in 1996, before leaving office in 1999 and returning in 2009. Furthermore, Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon, and Ehud Olmert were all born in what is now the territory of the State of Israel during the Mandate period. The first sabra who became President of Israel was Yitzhak Navon, who was born in Jerusalem. The first sabra born after Israel's declaration of independence, who exercised the powers of the office of the President of Israel, was Dalia Itzik. The first sabra born after Israel's declaration of independence, who became President of Israel rather than acting President, is the incumbent Isaac Herzog. He is also the first son of a former Israeli president to also become President. Statehood Generation leaders In addition to Netanyahu being the first of the Statehood Generation to serve as Prime Minister, Avraham Burg, speaker of the Knesset from 1999–2003, was also the first Speaker to have been born in the modern state since 1948. The first of the Statehood Generation to serve as acting President, was Dalia Itzik and to serve as the actual President is Isaac Herzog. Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, former Prime Ministers, were also born in the modern state. See also Sabra (comics) Culture of Israel Israeli Jews Kibbutz Moshav Muscular Judaism Negation of the Diaspora Srulik References External links Hebrew site with video of Kishkashta Hebrew slang Israeli culture Society of Israel Jewish ethnic groups 1930s neologisms