The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the
unicameral legislature
Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one.
Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...
of
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is
sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the
Israeli government (with the exception of checks and balances from the courts and local governments).
The Knesset passes all laws, elects the
president and
prime minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
(although the latter is ceremonially appointed by the President), approves the
cabinet, and supervises the work of the government, among other things. In addition, the Knesset elects the
state comptroller. It also has the power to waive the immunity of its members, remove the president and the state comptroller from office, dissolve the government in a
constructive vote of no confidence
The constructive vote of no confidence (german: konstruktives Misstrauensvotum, es, moción de censura constructiva) is a variation on the motion of no confidence that allows a parliament to withdraw confidence from a head of government only if t ...
, and to dissolve itself and call new elections. The prime minister may also
dissolve the Knesset. However, until an election is completed, the Knesset maintains authority in its current composition.
[The Knesset](_blank)
Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved 8 September 2011. The Knesset meets in
Givat Ram
Givat Ram ( he, גִּבְעַת רָם) is a neighborhood in central Jerusalem. It is the site of Kiryat HaMemshala (Hebrew: קריית הממשלה, ''lit.'' Government complex), which includes many of Israel's most important national instituti ...
,
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
.
Name
The term "Knesset" is derived from the ancient ''Knesset HaGdola'' ( he, כְּנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה) or "
Great Assembly", which according to
Jewish tradition
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites"" ...
was an assembly of 120 scribes, sages, and prophets, in the period from the end of the Biblical prophets to the time of the development of
Rabbinic Judaism
Rabbinic Judaism ( he, יהדות רבנית, Yahadut Rabanit), also called Rabbinism, Rabbinicism, or Judaism espoused by the Rabbanites, has been the mainstream form of Judaism since the 6th century CE, after the codification of the Babylonia ...
– about two centuries ending c. 200 BCE. There is, however, no organisational continuity and aside from the number of members, there is little similarity, as the ancient Knesset was a religious, completely unelected body.
Members
Members of the Knesset are known in Hebrew as חֲבֵר הַכְּנֶסֶת (''Haver HaKnesset''), if male, or חַבְרַת הַכְּנֶסֶת (''Havrat HaKnesset''), if female.
Role in Israeli government
As the
legislative branch of the
Israeli government, the Knesset passes all
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
s, elects the
president, approves the
cabinet, and supervises the work of the government through its committees. It also has the power to waive the immunity of its members, remove the
President and the
State Comptroller from office, and to dissolve itself and call new elections.
The Knesset has ''
de jure
In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...
''
parliamentary supremacy, and can pass any law by a simple majority, even one that might arguably conflict with the
Basic Laws of Israel
The Basic Laws of Israel ( he, , Ḥukey HaYesod) are thirteen constitutional laws of the State of Israel, and some of them can only be changed by a supermajority vote in the Knesset (with varying requirements for different Basic Laws and sectio ...
, unless the basic law includes specific conditions for its modification; in accordance with a plan adopted in 1950, the Basic Laws can be adopted and amended by the Knesset, acting in its capacity as a
Constituent Assembly.
The Knesset itself is regulated by a Basic Law called "Basic Law: the Knesset".
In addition to the absence of a formal
constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed.
When these princ ...
, and with no Basic Law thus far being adopted which formally grants a power of
judicial review
Judicial review is a process under which executive, legislative and administrative actions are subject to review by the judiciary. A court with authority for judicial review may invalidate laws, acts and governmental actions that are incomp ...
to the
judiciary
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
, the
Supreme Court of Israel has since the early 1990s asserted its authority, when sitting as the High Court of Justice, to invalidate provisions of Knesset laws it has found to be inconsistent with Basic Law.
The Knesset is presided over by a
Speaker and Deputy Speakers, called the Knesset Presidium, which currently consists of:
Committees
The Knesset is divided into committees, which amend bills on various appropriate subjects. Committee chairpersons are chosen by their members, on recommendation of the House Committee, and their factional composition represents that of the Knesset itself. Committees may elect sub-committees and delegate powers to them, or establish joint committees for issues concerning more than one committee. To further their deliberations, they invite government ministers, senior officials, and experts in the matter being discussed. Committees may request explanations and information from any relevant ministers in any matter within their competence, and the ministers or persons appointed by them must provide the explanation or information requested.
There are four types of committees in the Knesset. Permanent committees amend proposed legislation dealing with their area of expertise, and may initiate legislation. However, such legislation may only deal with Basic Laws and laws dealing with the Knesset, elections to the Knesset, Knesset members, or the
State Comptroller. Special committees function in a similar manner to permanent committees, but are appointed to deal with particular manners at hand, and can be dissolved or turned into permanent committees. Parliamentary inquiry committees are appointed by the plenum to deal with issues viewed as having special national importance. In addition, there are two types of committees that convene only when needed: the Interpretations Committee, made up of the Speaker and eight members chosen by the House Committee, deals with appeals against the interpretation given by the Speaker during a sitting of the plenum to the Knesset rules of procedure or precedents, and Public Committees, established to deal with issues that are connected to the Knesset.
Permanent committees:
*House Committee
*Finance Committee
*Economic Affairs Committee
*
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee
The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee ( he, ועדת חוץ וביטחון) is a permanent Knesset committee which oversees key Foreign and Defense issues of the State of Israel, including the drafting of legislation, supervision over relat ...
*Interior and Environment Committee
*Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Affairs Committee
*
Education, Culture, and Sports Committee
*Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee
*Labour, Welfare, and Health Committee
*Science and Technology Committee
*State Control Committee
*Committee on the Status of Women
Special committees:
*Committee on Drug Abuse
*Committee on the Rights of the Child
*Committee on Foreign Workers
*
Israeli Central Elections Committee
*Public Petitions Committee
The other committees are the Arrangements Committee and the Ethics Committee. The Ethics Committee is responsible for jurisdiction over Knesset members who violate the rules of ethics of the Knesset, or are involved in illegal activities outside the Knesset. Within the framework of responsibility, the Ethics Committee may place various sanctions on a member, but is not allowed to restrict a member's right to vote. The Arrangements Committee proposes the makeup of the permanent committees following each election, as well as suggesting committee chairs, lays down the sitting arrangements of political parties in the Knesset, and the distribution of rooms in the Knesset building to members and parties.
Caucuses
Knesset members often join in formal or informal groups known as "lobbies" or "caucuses", to advocate for a particular topic. There are hundreds of such caucuses in the Knesset. The
Knesset Christian Allies Caucus and the
Knesset Land of Israel Caucus The Knesset Land of Israel Caucus ( he, שדולת ארץ-ישראל בכנסת), also known as the Eretz Israel Caucus, is a lobby group within the Knesset whose goal is "to strengthen the State of Israel’s hold" on the West Bank. It is one of th ...
are two of the largest and most active caucuses.
Size
The Knesset numbers 120 members, after the size of the
Great Assembly. The subject of Knesset membership has often been a cause for proposed reforms. Under the
Norwegian Law, Knesset members who are appointed to ministerial positions are allowed to resign and allow the next person on their party's list to take their seat. If they leave the cabinet, they are able to return to the Knesset to take the place of their replacement.
Elections
The 120 members of the Knesset (MKs) are popularly elected from a single nationwide electoral district to concurrent four-year terms, subject to calls for early elections (which are quite common). All Israeli citizens 18 years or older may vote in legislative elections, which are conducted by
secret ballot.
Knesset seats are allocated among the various parties using the
D'Hondt method
The D'Hondt method, also called the Jefferson method or the greatest divisors method, is a method for allocating seats in parliaments among federal states, or in party-list proportional representation systems. It belongs to the class of highest ...
of
party list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation (list-PR) is a subset of proportional representation electoral systems in which multiple candidates are elected (e.g., elections to parliament) through their position on an electoral list. They can also be use ...
. A party or electoral alliance must pass the
election threshold
The electoral threshold, or election threshold, is the minimum share of the primary vote that a candidate or political party requires to achieve before they become entitled to representation or additional seats in a legislature. This limit can ...
of 3.25% of the overall vote to be allocated a Knesset seat. Parties select their candidates using a
closed list. Thus, voters select the party of their choice, not any specific candidate.
The electoral threshold was previously set at 1% from 1949 to 1992, then 1.5% from 1992 to 2003, and then 2% until March 2014 when the current threshold of 3.25% was passed (effective with elections for the 20th Knesset).
As a result of the low threshold, a typical Knesset has 10 or more factions represented. With so many parties, it is nearly impossible for one party or faction to govern alone, let alone win a majority. No party or faction has ever won the 61 seats necessary for a majority; the closest being the 56 seats won by the
Alignment in the
1969 elections (the Alignment had briefly held 63 seats going into the 1969 elections after being formed shortly beforehand by the merger of several parties, the only occasion on which any party or faction has ever held a majority). Every Israeli government has been a coalition of two or more parties.
After an election, the president meets with the leaders of every party that won Knesset seats and asks them to recommend which party leader should form the government. The president then nominates the party leader who is most likely to command the support of a majority in the Knesset (though not necessarily the leader of the largest party/faction in the chamber). The prime minister-designate has 42 days to put together a viable coalition (extensions can be granted and often are), and then must win a vote of confidence in the Knesset before taking office.
The following is a list of Knesset elections:
*
1949 Israeli Constituent Assembly election
Constituent Assembly elections were held in newly independent Israel on 25 January 1949. Voter turnout was 86.9%. Two days after its first meeting on 14 February 1949, legislators voted to change the name of the body to the Knesset (Hebrew: � ...
*
1951 Israeli legislative election
Events
January
* January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950).
* January 9 – The Government of the United K ...
*
1955 Israeli legislative election
Events January
* January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama.
* January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut.
* January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijia ...
*
1959 Israeli legislative election
Legislative elections were held in Israel on 3 November 1959 to elect the 120 members of the fourth Knesset. Mapai remained the dominant party, gaining seven seats. Following the elections, Mapai leader David Ben-Gurion formed ninth government on ...
*
1961 Israeli legislative election
Elections for the fifth Knesset were held in Israel on 15 August 1961. Voter turnout was 81.6%. Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) ''Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I'', p124
Parliament factions
The table below ...
*
1965 Israeli legislative election
*
1969 Israeli legislative election
Legislative elections were held in Israel on 28 October 1969 to elect members of the seventh Knesset. The ruling Alignment coalition was returned to power with the largest number of seats ever won in an Israeli election (56 out of 120). This ...
*
1973 Israeli legislative election
Legislative elections were held in Israel on 31 December 1973. Voter turnout was 78.6%.Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) ''Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I'', p125 The election was postponed for two months becaus ...
*
1977 Israeli legislative election
Legislative elections were held in Israel on 17 May 1977 to elect the ninth Knesset. For the first time in Israeli political history, the right wing, led by Likud, won a plurality of seats, ending almost 30 years of rule by the left-wing Alignme ...
*
1981 Israeli legislative election
Knesset elections were held in Israel on 30 June 1981. The ruling Likud won one more seat than the opposition Alignment, in line with many polls which had predicted a tight race. Voter turnout was 78.5%, with Likud receiving around ten thousand m ...
*
1984 Israeli legislative election
Legislative elections were held in Israel on 23 July 1984 to elect the eleventh Knesset. Voter turnout was 78.8%. The results saw the Alignment return to being the largest party in the Knesset, a status it had lost in 1977. However, the party co ...
*
1988 Israeli legislative election
Elections for the 12th Knesset were held in Israel on 1 November 1988. Voter turnout was 79.7%.Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) ''Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume I'', p127
Parliament factions
The table below li ...
*
1992 Israeli legislative election
*
1996 Israeli general election
*
1999 Israeli general election
Early general elections for both the Prime Minister and the Knesset were held in Israel on 17 May 1999 following a vote of no confidence in the government; the incumbent Likud Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ran for re-election.
This election ...
*
2003 Israeli legislative election
3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...
*
2006 Israeli legislative election
Elections for the 17th Knesset were held in Israel on 28 March 2006. The voting resulted in a plurality of seats for the then-new Kadima party, followed by the Labor Party, and a major loss for the Likud party.
After the election, the governm ...
*
2009 Israeli legislative election
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Arabic digit
In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra a ...
*
2013 Israeli legislative election
Early elections for the nineteenth Knesset were held in Israel on 22 January 2013. Public debate over the Tal Law had nearly led to early elections in 2012, but they were aborted at the last moment after Kadima briefly joined the government. T ...
*
2015 Israeli legislative election
*
April 2019 Israeli legislative election
April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. It is the first of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the second of five months to have a length of less than 31 days.
April is commonly associated with ...
*
September 2019 Israeli legislative election
Snap legislative elections were held in Israel on 17 September 2019 to elect the 120 members of the 22nd Knesset. Following the previous elections in April, incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a governing coalition for a ...
*
2020 Israeli legislative election
*
2021 Israeli legislative election
Legislative elections were held in Israel on 23 March 2021 to elect the 120 members of the 24th Knesset. It was the fourth election in two years. Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett announced that they had formed a rotation government on 2 June 20 ...
*
2022 Israeli legislative election
Legislative elections were held in Israel on 1 November 2022 to elect the 120 members of the 25th Knesset. The results saw the right-wing national camp of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu achieving a parliamentary majority, amid losse ...
Current composition
The table below lists the parliamentary factions represented in the
25th Knesset.
Functioning
Despite numerous
motions of no confidence
A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
being tabled in the Knesset, a government has only been defeated by one once, when
Yitzhak Shamir's
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is ...
was brought down on 15 March 1990 as part of a plot that became known as "
the dirty trick
The dirty trick ( he, התרגיל המסריח, ''HaTargil HaMasriaḥ'', lit. the stinking trick) refers to a political scandal that erupted in Israel in 1990. It referred to an attempt by Shimon Peres to form a government made up of the left-win ...
" (
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
: התרגיל המסריח, ''HaTargil HaMasriaḥ'', lit. "the stinking trick").
However, several governments have resigned as a result of no-confidence motions, even when they were not defeated. These include the
fifth government, which fell after Prime Minister
Moshe Sharett
Moshe Sharett ( he, משה שרת, born Moshe Chertok (Hebrew: ) 15 October 1894 – 7 July 1965) was a Russian-born Israeli politician who served as Israel's second prime minister from 1954 to 1955. A member of Mapai, Sharett's term was b ...
resigned in June 1955 following the abstention of the
General Zionists (part of the governing coalition) during a vote of no-confidence; the
ninth government, which fell after Prime Minister Ben-Gurion resigned in January 1961 over a motion of no-confidence on the
Lavon Affair; and the
seventeenth government, which resigned in December 1976 after the
National Religious Party (part of the governing coalition) abstained in a motion of no-confidence against the government.
History
The Knesset first convened on 14 February 1949 in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...
following the
20 January elections, replacing the
Provisional State Council which acted as Israel's official legislature from its date of independence on 14 May 1948 and succeeding the
Assembly of Representatives that had functioned as the
Jewish community
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
's representative body during the
Mandate era.
The Knesset compound sits on a hilltop in western Jerusalem in a district known as
Sheikh Badr before the
1948 Arab–Israeli War, now
Givat Ram
Givat Ram ( he, גִּבְעַת רָם) is a neighborhood in central Jerusalem. It is the site of Kiryat HaMemshala (Hebrew: קריית הממשלה, ''lit.'' Government complex), which includes many of Israel's most important national instituti ...
. The main building was financed by
James de Rothschild as a gift to the State of Israel in his will and was completed in 1966. It was built on land leased from the
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, el, Πατριαρχεῖον Ἱεροσολύμων, ''Patriarcheîon Hierosolýmōn;'' he, הפטריארכיה היוונית-אורתודוקסית של ירושלים; ar, كنيسة الرو� ...
. Over the years, significant additions to the structure were constructed, however, these were built at levels below and behind the main 1966 structure as not to detract from the original assembly building's appearance.
Before the construction of its current location, the Knesset met in Tel Aviv,
before moving to the
Froumine building in Jerusalem.
Location and construction timeline
*14 February 1949: First meeting of the Constituent Assembly,
Jewish Agency,
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
*16 February 1949: Name "Knesset" approved for the Constituent Assembly; number of members fixed at 120; the Knesset starts convening in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...
(first as at what is now the
Opera Tower, later at the San Remo Hotel in Tel Aviv)
*26 December 1949 – 8 March 1950: Knesset moved to Jerusalem; first convened at the Jewish Agency building
*13 March 1950: Knesset moved to the
Froumine House
Froumine House (or Frumin House) ( he, בית פרומין; ''Beit Frumin''; also known as the ''Old Knesset'') was the temporary abode of the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, from 1950 to 1966. The building is at 24 King George Street in downtow ...
, in
King George Street, Jerusalem
*1950–1955: Israeli government holds architectural competitions for the permanent Knesset building.
Ossip Klarwein
Ossip (Yosef) Klarwein (6 February 1893 – 9 September 1970) was a Polish-born German-Israeli architect who designed many works in Germany and Israel. Between 1921 and 1933 he was employed with Johann Friedrich Höger, and became chief design ar ...
's original design won the competition
*1955: Government approves plans to build the Knesset in its current location
*1957:
James de Rothschild informs Prime Minister
David Ben-Gurion of his desire to finance the construction of the building
*14 October 1958: Cornerstone-laying for new Knesset building
*30 August 1966: Dedication of new building (during the sixth Knesset)
*1981: Construction of new wing begins
*1992: New wing opens
*2001: Construction starts on a large new wing that essentially doubles the overall floorspace of the Knesset compound.
*2007: New large wing opens
Knesset assemblies
Each Knesset session is known by its election number. Thus the Knesset elected by Israel's first election in 1949 is known as the ''First Knesset''. The current Knesset, elected in 2021, is the Twenty-fourth Knesset.
*
1st (1949–1951)
*
2nd (1951–1955)
*
3rd (1955–1959)
*
4th (1959–1961)
*
5th (1961–1965)
*
6th (1965–1969)
*
7th (1969–1974)
*
8th (1974–1977)
*
9th (1977–1981)
*
10th (1981–1984)
*
11th (1984–1988)
*
12th (1988–1992)
*
13th (1992–1996)
*
14th (1996–1999)
*
15th (1999–2003)
*
16th (2003–2006)
*
17th (2006–2009)
*
18th (2009–2013)
*
19th (2013–2015)
*
20th (2015–2019)
*
21st (2019)
*
22nd (2019–2020)
*
23rd (2020–2021)
*
24th (2021–2022)
*
25th (2022–)
Tourism
The Knesset holds morning tours in Hebrew, Arabic, English, French, Spanish, German, and Russian on Sunday and Thursday, and there are also live session viewing times on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings.
Security
The Knesset is protected by the
Knesset Guard, a
protective security unit responsible for the security of the Knesset building and Knesset members. Guards are stationed outside the building to provide armed protection, and ushers are stationed inside to maintain order. The Knesset Guard also plays a ceremonial role, participating in state ceremonies, which includes greeting dignitaries on
Mount Herzl
Mount Herzl ( he, הַר הֶרְצְל ''Har Hertsl''), also ''Har ha-Zikaron'' ( lit. "Mount of Remembrance"), is the site of Israel's national cemetery and other memorial and educational facilities, found on the west side of Jerusalem beside ...
on the eve of
Israeli Independence Day
Independence Day ( he, יום העצמאות ''Yom Ha'atzmaut'', lit. "Day of Independence") is the national day of Israel, commemorating the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. The day is marked by official and unofficial ceremonies ...
.
Public perception
A poll conducted by the
Israeli Democracy Institute in April and May 2014 showed that while a majority of both Jews and Arabs in Israel are proud to be citizens of the country, both groups share a distrust of Israel's government, including the Knesset. Almost three quarters of Israelis surveyed said corruption in Israel's political leadership was either "widespread or somewhat prevalent". A majority of both Arabs and Jews trusted the
Israel Defense Forces, the
President of Israel, and the
Supreme Court of Israel, but Jews and Arabs reported similar levels of mistrust, with little more than a third of each group claiming confidence in the Knesset.
See also
*
Great Assembly
*
Elections in Israel
Elections in Israel are based on nationwide proportional representation. The electoral threshold is currently set at 3.25%, with the number of seats a party receives in the Knesset being proportional to the number of votes it receives. The Knesse ...
*
Politics of Israel
*
Knesset Guard
*
List of Arab members of the Knesset
There have been Israeli Arab members of the Knesset ever since the first Knesset elections in 1949. The following is a list of the 100 past and present members. Some Israeli Druze dispute the label "Arab" and consider Druze to be a separate et ...
*
Lists of Knesset members
Lists of Knesset members cover members of the Knesset of Israel. They are organized by session, by ethnicity and by position.
By session
* List of members of the first Knesset (1949–51)
* List of members of the second Knesset (1951–55)
* Lis ...
*
List of Knesset speakers
The Speaker of the Knesset ( he, יוֹשֵׁב רֹאשׁ הכנסת, Yoshev Rosh HaKnesset, Chairman of the Knesset) is the presiding officer of the Knesset, the unicameral legislature of Israel. The Speaker also acts as President of Israel whe ...
*
List of legislatures by country
References
External links
*
{{Coord, 31, 46, 36, N, 35, 12, 19, E, region:IL_type:landmark, display=title
1949 establishments in Israel
Buildings and structures in Jerusalem
Legislative branch of Israel
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
Seats of national legislatures
Hebrew words and phrases