In 1906, Ben-Gurion arrived to the Jaffa shore. 

​In the Land of Israel, he was active in the Zionist-socialist party "Poalei Zion," and headed the party’s stream that believed that realizing the Zionist dream must be prioritized over Marxist ideology.

For several years, David Green worked in agriculture in Petah Tikva, Kfar Saba, Rishon LeZion, Rehovot, and Sejera. 

In Sejera, for the first time, he placed the task of guarding a Jewish settlement in Jewish hands (“Shmira Ivrit”). 

In 1910, he became a member of the editorial board of Ha’ahdut, Poalei Zion’s newspaper in Jerusalem. 

He signed his first article with his new last name, Ben-Gurion, taken from one of the Jewish generals who led the revolt against the Roman legions in the time of Bar Kokhba.

In 1915, Ben-Gurion and Ben-Zvi arrived in New York and established the “HeChalutz” movement there, intending to recruit and train the first labor army for the Land of Israel. 

Ben-Gurion and Ben-Zvi also participated in the establishment of the Jewish Congress movement, which became a broad movement.

In 1917, he married Paulina Munweis (1896–1968), a native of Minsk, who immigrated to the United States as a teenager.

A few months after the Balfour Declaration, as the United States entered World War I, Ben-Gurion, Ben-Zvi and others began to work to recruit volunteers for the Jewish Legion, but by the time Ben-Gurion returned with the Jewish battalions to the Land of Israel, the British occupation had already been completed.

In 1937, together with Chaim Weizmann and Moshe Chertok (Sharett), Ben-Gurion supported the partition plan of the Peel Commission, which proposed the establishment of a Jewish state in part of the Land of Israel.

In February 1939, Ben-Gurion participated in the St. James's Conference in London, which was followed by the publication of the White Paper of 1939, which restricted immigration to Israel and the acquisition of land by Jews. 

On his return to Israel, he announced the start of an open struggle against Britain.

Ben-Gurion fought against the White Paper plan by increasing immigration and by establishing new settlements in areas where Jewish settling was prohibited.

His opposition to the British anti-Zionist policy continued after the outbreak of World War II. 

Despite that, he supported active participation in the war against Hitler and the establishment of Jewish combat units within the British army.

In May 1942, Ben-Gurion was one of the initiators of the Biltmore Conference held in New York, which marked the start of the struggle for a Jewish state to be established immediately.

On the domestic front, Ben-Gurion took an aggressive stance against the secessionist organizations – Irgun and Lehi – for taking extreme measures of resistance against the British army in Israel.

In the years following World War II, Ben-Gurion intensified the struggle against the White Paper policy.

On April 18, 1948, Ben-Gurion was appointed as head of the People's Administration and also in charge of security matters of the Yishuv. 

On May 14, 1948, Ben-Gurion declared at the People's Council the establishment of the State of Israel and its provisional government, of which he was Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. 

In the War of Independence, under the leadership of Ben-Gurion, the Israel Defense Forces overcame the Arab guerrillas and the armies of the Arab states.

After the elections for the First Knesset, Ben-Gurion was appointed again as Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. 

In those first years of statehood, he stood at the forefront of the effort to absorb massive immigration and to build the economy amidst difficult conditions. 

He also called on people to fulfill their potential as pioneer settlers, especially in the Negev.

As Prime Minister, Ben-Gurion worked intensively to fortify the status of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. 

About a year after the War of Independence, he initiated the Knesset decision to move the Knesset and all of the government offices to Jerusalem. 

Ben-Gurion stated that this move would once and for all abolish the demand to internationalize Jerusalem, a demand that kept appearing in various international contexts.

In June 1963, Ben-Gurion resigned from his post in the Government when he realized that his basic opinions on foreign affairs and security were not supported by his political peers. 

The disagreements were over issues related to the development of a nuclear option and the diplomatic ties with Germany, especially following the affair of the German scientists who developed missiles for Egypt. 

As per Ben-Gurion's recommendation, Levi Eshkol was appointed Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. 

Soon, however, disagreement between Ben-Gurion and Eshkol escalated in light of the Lavon Affair. 

In the summer of 1963, Ben-Gurion announced his resignation from the Government and the Knesset. 

Shortly afterwards, he modified his decision and remained a Knesset Member.

In the elections for the Seventh Knesset, held in October 1969, Ben-Gurion ran as the head of a party called the National List ("Reshima Mamlachtit") which won 4 Knesset seats. 

In June 1970, at the age of 84, he resigned for the last time from the Knesset and from political life. 

​He settled in Sde Boker and devoted himself to writing his memoirs.

David Ben-Gurion published dozens of books, mostly collections of articles and speeches. 

Some were collections of letters and historical studies on the Jewish Yishuv in the Land of Israel and the history of the state.
Ben-Gurion passed away on December 1, 1973. 

​He was buried on the highland south of Kibbutz Sde Boker, facing the Zin river.