<P> As leader of the Yishuv , David Ben - Gurion was the first person to sign . The declaration was due to be signed by all 37 members of Moetzet HaAm . However , twelve members could not attend , eleven of them trapped in besieged Jerusalem and one abroad . The remaining 25 signatories present were called up in alphabetical order to sign , leaving spaces for those absent . Although a space was left for him between the signatures of Eliyahu Dobkin and Meir Vilner , Zerach Warhaftig signed at the top of the next column , leading to speculation that Vilner 's name had been left alone to isolate him , or to stress that even a communist agreed with the declaration . However , Warhaftig later denied this , stating that a space had been left for him ( as he was one of the signatories trapped in Jerusalem ) where a Hebraicised form of his name would have fitted alphabetically , but he insisted on signing under his actual name so as to honour his father 's memory and so moved down two spaces . He and Vilner would be the last surviving signatories , and remained close for the rest of their lives . Of the signatories , two were women ( Golda Meir ( Meyerson / Myerson ) and Rachel Cohen - Kagan ) . </P>
who was the first signatory of the israeli declaration of independence
David Ben - Gurion