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# Exhibit 12.1

# Certification

I, Russell C.  Ellwanger, certify that:

1.     I have
reviewed this annual report on Form 20-F of Tower Semiconductor Ltd.;

2.     Based on
my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a
                    material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the
statements                     made, in light of the circumstances under which such
statements were made, not                     misleading with respect to the period
covered by this report;

3.     Based on
my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
                    information included in this annual report, fairly present in all
material                     respects the financial condition, results of operations and
cash flows of the                     registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in
this report;

4.     The
registrants other certifying officer(s) and I are responsible for
                    establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as
defined in                     Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal
control over financial                     reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules
13a-15(f) and 15(d)-15(f)) for the                     registrant and have:

| | (a)       
designed
such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure
                    controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to
ensure that                     material information relating to the registrant,
including its consolidated                     subsidiaries, is made known to us by
others within those entities, particularly                     during the period in which
this report is being prepared;
| | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | (b)       
designed
such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such
                    internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our
supervision,                     to provide reasonable assurance regarding the
reliability of financial reporting                     and the preparation of financial
statements for external purposes in accordance                     with generally
accepted accounting principles;
| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | (c)       
evaluated
the effectiveness of the registrants disclosure controls and
                    procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the
effectiveness                     of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the
end of the period covered                     by this report based on such evaluation;
and
| | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | (d)       
disclosed
in this report any change in the registrants internal control
                    over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by
the annual                     report that has materially affected, or is reasonably
likely to materially                     affect, the registrants internal control
over financial reporting; and
| | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5.     The
registrants other certifying officer(s) and I have disclosed, based
                    on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial
reporting, to                     the registrants auditors and the audit committee
of registrants                     board of directors (or persons performing the
equivalent functions):

| | (a)       
all
significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation
                    of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably
likely to                     adversely affect the registrants ability to record,
process, summarize and                     report financial information; and
| | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| | (b)       
any
fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees
                    who have a significant role in the registrants internal control
over                     financial reporting.
| | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

June 30, 2009

| |  | /s/  Russell C.  Ellwanger 
 Russell C.  Ellwanger Chief Executive OfficerTower Semiconductor Ltd.
| |  | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



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