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37-443: The members of the 19th Knesset were elected on 22 January 2013 , and sworn in on 5 February. Knesset Opposition (52) The Knesset ( Hebrew : הַכְּנֶסֶת , romanized :  HaKnesset [haˈkneset] lit.   ' gathering, assembly ' , Arabic : الْكِنِيسِت , romanized :  al-Kinisit ) is the unicameral legislature of Israel . The Knesset passes all laws, elects

74-797: A Speaker and Deputy Speakers, called the Knesset Presidium, which currently consists of: Knesset committees amend bills on various appropriate subjects. Knesset members are assigned to committees, while 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 non-voting people, like government ministers, senior officials, and experts in

111-460: A constructive vote of no confidence , 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 meets in Givat Ram , Jerusalem. Members of the Knesset are elected nationwide through proportional representation . The term "Knesset" is derived from

148-646: A $ 2.5 million bank bond, $ 111 million in subsidies for private religious schools, and guaranteed seats in the Knesset . This prompted protests by the Israeli public, including rallies and hunger strikes. It was in one of the rallies in Kings of Israel Square that the call "Mush'hatim, nim'astem!" ("We're fed up with you corrupt people!") was first uttered. It was later adopted by the Labor Party in its 1992 elections campaign (when it

185-512: A coalition with the secular, Kashrut -violating left, "eaters of hares and swine". This later became known as "The hares address". Following Rabbi Shach's firm objection, Shas mentor Rabbi Ovadia Yosef also refused to allow Shas to serve under Peres. Peres was thus left with the support of 60 MKs, one short of a majority. The extra MK would be Avraham Sharir , who had left the Likud in February to form

222-564: 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

259-611: A motion of no-confidence against the government. As the legislative branch of the Israeli government , the Knesset passes all laws , 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 parliamentary supremacy , and can pass any law by

296-517: A simple majority, even one that might arguably conflict with the Basic Laws of Israel , 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

333-401: A viable government (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: The table below lists the parliamentary factions represented in the 25th Knesset . Each Knesset session is known by its election number. Thus the Knesset elected by Israel's first election in 1949 is known as

370-652: Is little similarity, as the ancient Knesset was a religious, completely unelected body. Members of the Knesset are known in Hebrew as חֲבֵר הַכְּנֶסֶת ( Haver HaKnesset ), if male, or חַבְרַת הַכְּנֶסֶת ( Havrat HaKnesset ), if female. The Knesset first convened on 14 February 1949 in Jerusalem 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

407-526: 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). As a result, while there have never been more than three numerically major parties at any time and only four parties (or their antecedents) have ever led governments, all Israeli governments have been coalitions. After an election,

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444-733: The Assembly of Representatives that had functioned as the Jewish community 's representative body during the Mandate era. Before the construction of its current location, the Knesset met in Tel Aviv, before moving to the Froumine building in Jerusalem. 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 . The main building

481-586: The First Knesset . The current Knesset, elected in 2022, is the Twenty-fifth Knesset. 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. The Knesset is protected by the Knesset Guard , a protective security unit responsible for the security of

518-662: The New Liberal Party . The new government was to be approved on 11 April. However, on that morning two Agudat Yisrael MKs, Eliezer Mizrahi and Avraham Verdiger , were absent due to the Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson refusing to support any concession of Israeli territory. It later turned out that Mizrahi was not even present at the signing of the agreement between the Alignment and Agudat Yisrael, while Verdiger had only pretended to sign it, and in fact had just waved his pen over

555-611: 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. 31°46′36″N 35°12′19″E  /  31.77667°N 35.20528°E  / 31.77667; 35.20528 The dirty trick Peres' Israeli Labor Party had been part of the second national unity government with its traditional rival, Yitzhak Shamir 's Likud , since 1988. Shamir had served as Prime Minister , while Peres served as Finance Minister . In early 1990,

592-477: The United States Secretary of State James Baker suggested that Israel negotiate with a Palestinian delegation consisting of Palestinians deported from the Israeli occupied territories as well as some from East Jerusalem . Peres demanded that the government accept Baker's proposal. Shamir balked, under pressure from hardliners in his own party. Peres gave Shamir an ultimatum, threatening to tear up

629-457: The president and prime minister (although the former is ceremonially appointed by the Prime Minister), 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

666-552: 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

703-536: 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: Special committees: The other committees are

740-554: 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 on the eve of Israeli Independence Day . A poll conducted by the Israeli Democracy Institute in April and May 2014 showed that while

777-475: The Knesset, a government has only been defeated by one once, when Yitzhak Shamir 's government was brought down on 15 March 1990 as part of a plot that became known as " the dirty 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 resigned in June 1955 following

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814-478: 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:

851-578: The Knesset. The Knesset Christian Allies Caucus and the Knesset Land of Israel Caucus are two of the largest and most active caucuses. 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

888-453: The absence of a formal constitution , and with no Basic Law thus far being adopted which formally grants a power of judicial review to the judiciary , 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

925-683: 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

962-475: The affair "the dirty trick" in an interview, saying "All this bluff and corruptibility which came into the Israeli political life in an attempt to form a narrow government failed not only tactically but also conceptually". Despite the incident, Peres avoided an immediate leadership election within the Labor Party, although he lost the contest to Rabin prior to the 1992 elections. During the affair, potential coalition members publicly demanded inducements, including

999-468: The ancient Knesset HaGdola ( Hebrew : כְּנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה ) or " Great Assembly ", which according to Jewish tradition 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 – about two centuries ending c. 200 BCE. There is, however, no organisational continuity and aside from the number of members, there

1036-493: The coalition agreement if Shamir did not accept the Baker plan. Peres drafted a secret agreement with Aryeh Deri and Shas to support the dissolution of the national unity government. The Alignment then issued a motion of no confidence against the government. Shamir promptly sacked Peres, and the other Alignment ministers resigned as well. On 15 March, the government was dissolved by a vote of 60 to 55. Agudat Yisrael voted for

1073-423: 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 offices in the Knesset building to members and parties. 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

1110-498: 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

1147-476: The motion, while Shas abstained. It was the only time in Israeli history that a government was dissolved by a motion of no confidence. After the government fell, President Chaim Herzog chose Peres to form the new government. Peres soon found this task difficult. Speaking in a rally at the Yad Eliyahu Arena , Rabbi Elazar Shach , Degel HaTorah 's spiritual leader, called on his public not to tolerate

List of members of the nineteenth Knesset - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-513: 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. 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

1221-420: The paper. Peres asked Herzog for an extension, but had to surrender his mandate on 26 April. Herzog then invited Shamir to form a government. Shamir managed to form a right-wing coalition. Sharir returned to the Likud following Shamir's memorable cry, "Abrasha, come back home!", and Efraim Gur , who left the Alignment, also joined. Shamir presented his new government on 11 June. Yitzhak Rabin named

1258-403: 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

1295-417: The various parties using the D'Hondt method of party list proportional representation . A party or electoral alliance must pass an election threshold of 3.25% of the overall vote to be allocated a Knesset seat (in 2022, one seat for every 152,000 votes). Parties select their candidates using a closed list . Thus, voters select the party of their choice, not any specific candidate. The electoral threshold

1332-588: 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 . 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. Despite numerous motions of no confidence being tabled in

1369-467: 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. 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

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