Everything about Knesset totally explained
» For Beit Knesset, a Jewish place of worship, see Synagogue.
The
Knesset (lit.
Assembly, ) is the
legislature of
Israel, located in
Givat Ram,
Jerusalem.
History
The Knesset sits on a hilltop in western Jerusalem in a district known as
Sheikh Badr before the
1948 Arab-Israeli War. The building was financed by
James A. de Rothschild as a gift to the State of Israel. It was built on land leased from the
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Before the construction of its permanent home, the Knesset met in the
Jewish Agency building in Jerusalem, the Kessem Cinema building in Tel Aviv and the Froumine building in Jerusalem.
Timeline
- February 14, 1949: First meeting of the Constituent Assembly, Jewish Agency, Jerusalem
- March 8, 1949-December 14, 1949: Kessem Cinema in Tel Aviv (Migdal HaOpera is situated there today)
- December 26, 1949-March 8, 1950: Jewish Agency, Jerusalem
- March 13, 1950: Froumine Building, King George Street, Jerusalem.
- 1957: James A. de Rothschild informs Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion of his decision to finance the construction of a permanent Knesset building
- October 14, 1958: Cornerstone-laying for new Knesset building
- August 31, 1966: Dedication of new building (in the days of the Sixth Knesset)
- 1981: Construction of new wing begins
- 1992: New wing opens
- 2005: Construction of another new wing
Operation of the Knesset
The
legislative branch of the
Israeli government, the Knesset enacts
laws, elects the prime minister (although he's ceremonially appointed by the President), supervises the work of the
government, reserves the power to remove the
President of the State and the
State Comptroller from office and to dissolve itself and call new elections.
The Knesset first convened on
February 14,
1949. Every 4 years (or less if early elections are held, as is often the case), 120 members of the Knesset (MK) are elected by Israeli citizens who must be at least 18 years old to vote. The
Government of Israel must be approved by a majority vote of the Knesset.
The Knesset has
de jure parliamentary supremacy and can pass any laws by a simple majority, even those that conflict with the
Basic Laws of Israel, as it's also a
Constituent Assembly. Nonetheless, the Knesset's right to function effectively has been greatly curtailed due to the inherent flaws of the low threshold
party list proportional representation that usually results in a fractious government dependent on unstable coalitions. Hence,
de facto, the
Supreme Court of Israel has greatly expanded its authority through
judicial review to nearly every aspect of Knesset legislation at the expense of the Knesset's authority.
The Knesset is guarded by the
Knesset Guard.
Knesset Assemblies
Each Knesset session is generally 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 2006 is the Seventeenth Knesset.
First Knesset
Second Knesset
Third Knesset
Fourth Knesset
Fifth Knesset
Sixth Knesset
Seventh Knesset
Eighth Knesset
Ninth Knesset
Tenth Knesset
Eleventh Knesset
Twelfth Knesset
Thirteenth Knesset
Fourteenth Knesset
Fifteenth Knesset
Sixteenth Knesset
Seventeenth Knesset
Current Knesset
The composition of the current Knesset was determined by the 2006 election. At present there are 18 parties represented in the Knesset on 12 lists (some parties run for election together on joint lists). Though it hasn't yet happened in the current session, in every Knesset to date parties have split up during the Knesset's term, leading to the creation of new parties or resulting in MKs sitting as independents.
The parties in the current Knesset are shown in the table below. Those in bold are part of the governing coalition.
* The National Union is an alliance of Ahi, Moledet and Tkuma.
** United Torah Judaism is an alliance of Agudat Israel and Degel HaTorah.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Knesset'.
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