The Knesset passes all laws, elects thepresident[6] andprime minister[7] (although the former is ceremonially appointed by the prime minister), approves thecabinet, and supervises the work of the government, among other things. In addition, the Knesset elects thestate 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 aconstructive vote of no confidence, and to dissolve itself and call new elections. The prime minister may alsodissolve the Knesset. However, until an election is completed, the Knesset maintains authority in its current composition.[8] The Knesset meets inGivat Ram, Jerusalem.
The term "Knesset" is derived from the ancientKnesset HaGdola (Hebrew:כְּנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה) or "Great Assembly", which according toJewish 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 ofRabbinic Judaism – about two centuries ending c. 200 BCE.[9] 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 of the Knesset are known in Hebrew as חֲבֵר הַכְּנֶסֶת (Haver HaKnesset), if male, or חַבְרַת הַכְּנֶסֶת (Havrat HaKnesset), if female.
The Knesset compound sits on a hilltop in western Jerusalem in a district known asSheikh Badr before the1948 Arab–Israeli War, nowGivat Ram. The main building was financed byJames 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 theGreek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.[12] 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.
However, several governments have resigned as a result of no-confidence motions, even when they were not defeated. These include thefifth government, which fell after Prime MinisterMoshe Sharett resigned in June 1955 following the abstention of theGeneral Zionists (part of the governing coalition) during a vote of no-confidence;[14] theninth government, which fell after Prime Minister Ben-Gurion resigned in January 1961 over a motion of no-confidence on theLavon Affair;[15] and theseventeenth government, which resigned in December 1976 after theNational Religious Party (part of the governing coalition) abstained in a motion of no-confidence against the government.
Timeline
The Knesset in winter
14 February 1949: First meeting of the Constituent Assembly,Jewish Agency, Jerusalem
16 February 1949: Name "Knesset" approved for the Constituent Assembly; number of members fixed at 120; the Knesset starts convening inTel Aviv (first as at what is now theOpera Tower, later at the San Remo Hotel in Tel Aviv)[16]
26 December 1949 – 8 March 1950: Knesset moved to Jerusalem; first convened at the Jewish Agency 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
Historic engraving on theFroumine House, King George St., Jerusalem
Government duties
As thelegislative branch of theIsraeli government, the Knesset passes alllaws, elects thepresident, approves thecabinet, 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 theState Comptroller from office, and to dissolve itself and call new elections.
The Knesset hasde jureparliamentary supremacy, and can pass any law by a simple majority, even one that might arguably conflict with theBasic 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 aConstituent Assembly.[17] The Knesset itself is regulated by a Basic Law called "Basic Law: the Knesset".
In addition to the absence of a formalconstitution, and with no Basic Law thus far being adopted which formally grants a power ofjudicial review to thejudiciary, theSupreme 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.[17] The Knesset is presided over by aSpeaker and Deputy Speakers, called the Knesset Presidium, which currently consists of:[18]
Knesset committees amend bills on various appropriate subjects. Knesset members are assigned tocommittees, 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 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.[8]
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 withBasic Laws and laws dealing with the Knesset, elections to the Knesset, Knesset members, or theState 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.[19][20]
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 offices in the Knesset building to members and parties.[21]
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. TheKnesset Christian Allies Caucus and theKnesset Land of Israel Caucus are two of the largest and most active caucuses.[22][23]
Membership
Knesset building (2007)The Knesset and its surroundings (2022)
The Knesset numbers 120 members, after the size of theGreat Assembly. The subject of Knesset membership has often been a cause for proposed reforms. Under theNorwegian 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.
The 120 members of the Knesset (MKs)[24] 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 bysecret ballot.
Knesset seats are allocated among the various parties using theD'Hondt method ofparty list proportional representation. A party or electoral alliance must pass anelection threshold of 3.25%[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 aclosed 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).[26] 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 theAlignment in the1969 elections[27] (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).[28] 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, 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 government (extensions can be granted and often are), and then must win a vote of confidence in the Knesset before taking office.[citation needed]
Each Knesset session is known by its election number. Thus the Knesset elected by Israel's first election in 1949 is known as theFirst 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.[29]
Security
A member of the Knesset Guard
The Knesset is protected by theKnesset Guard, aprotective 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 onMount Herzl on the eve ofIsraeli Independence Day.
Public perception
A poll conducted by theIsraeli 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 theIsrael Defense Forces, thePresident of Israel, and theSupreme 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.[30]
^Ahren, Raphael (11 June 2013)."Coalition chief heading caucus that seeks to retain entire West Bank".The Times of Israel.Knesset caucuses, sometimes called lobbies, are informal groups of parliamentarians that gather around a certain cause or topic. There are hundreds of such caucuses, but the one Levin and Strock now head is one of the largest – if not the largest, with 20–30 members in the last Knesset – and most active.
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