Question

What was Golda Meir’s greatest achievement?

She served as prime minister of Israel.
She helped establish the country of Israel.
She showed strong leadership during war yet sought peaceful diplomatic relations with other countries.
She authorized retaliation against the murderers of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.

Answer 1

There’s no single objectively “greatest” achievement, but most historians and biographers point to two closely related accomplishments as her most significant:

- Helping establish and build the State of Israel in its early decades — as a Zionist activist, fund‑raiser, signatory of Israel’s Declaration of Independence, and later as Minister of Labor and Foreign Minister she helped shape the country’s institutions and international relationships.
- Serving as Israel’s prime minister (1969–1974), becoming one of the world’s first female heads of government and guiding Israel through difficult, formative moments — notably the aftermath of the 1972 Munich massacre (after which she authorized retaliatory operations) and the 1973 Yom Kippur War, during which her leadership and decisions had huge consequences.

Which of those is “greatest” depends on your perspective: some emphasize her role in founding and consolidating the state and securing international support; others emphasize the symbolic and practical importance of her tenure as prime minister and the crises she managed (and sometimes mishandled). If you want, I can summarize scholarly views or give sources that argue for one achievement over the other.