Knesset

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Knesset
כנסת
الكنيست
Image:COA of Israel.svg
Image:Knesset Building (South Side).JPG
Type Unicameral
Speaker of the Knesset Dalia Itzik, Kadima
since May 4, 2006
Deputy Speaker Majalli Wahabi, Kadima
since May 4, 2006
Members 120
Political groups Kadima
Labour-Meimad
Shas
Likud
Last elections March 28, 2006
Meeting place Knesset, Jerusalem, Israel
Web site www.knesset.gov.il
For Beit Knesset, a Jewish place of worship, see Synagogue.

The Knesset (Hebrew: כנסת‎, lit. Assembly, Arabic: الكنيست) is the legislature of Israel. It is located in Jerusalem.

Contents

[edit] History

The Knesset is located in Givat Ram, on a hilltop in western Jerusalem, which before the 1948 Arab-Israeli War was an Arab settlement called Sheikh Badr. The building was financed by James A. de Rothschild as a gift to the State of Israel. Before the construction of its permanent home, the Knesset met in several locations:

  1. February 14, 1949: First meeting of the Constituent Assembly, Jewish Agency building, Jerusalem.
  2. March 8, 1949-December 14, 1949: Sittings held in the Kessem Cinema in Tel Aviv. (Migdal HaOpera situated there today).
  3. December 26, 1949-March 8, 1950: Reconvenes in the Jewish Agency building, Jerusalem.
  4. March 13, 1950: Temporary location at "Froumine Building", King George Street, Jerusalem.
  5. 1957: James A. de Rothschild informs Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion of his decision to bequeath funding for a permanent Knesset building.
  6. October 14, 1958: Laying of the cornerstone for new Knesset building.
  7. August 31, 1966: Dedication of the new building during the sixth Knesset.
  8. 1981: Construction of new wing, opened in 1992.
  9. 2005: Additional wing under construction.

The Knesset building is built on land leased from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.[1]

[edit] Operation of the Knesset

The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset enacts laws, elects the prime minister (although he is 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 is 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.[2]

The Knesset is guarded by the Knesset Guard.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Seventeeth Knesset

The composition of the seventeenth 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 has not 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.

Party Seats
Kadima 29
Labour-Meimad 19
Likud 12
Shas 12
Yisrael Beiteinu 11
National Union*-National Religious Party 9
Gil (Pensioners) 7
United Torah Judaism** 6
Meretz-Yachad 5
United Arab List-Ta'al 4
Hadash 3
Balad 3

* The National Union is an alliance of Moledet, Tkuma and the Renewed Religious National Zionist Party.

** United Torah Judaism is an alliance of Agudat Israel and Degel HaTorah.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Defacement in Jerusalem monastery threatens diplomatic crisis Haaretz, 8 October 2006
  2. ^ Models of Judicial Review Constitution for Israel

[edit] External links

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Israeli parliamentary elections Image:Flag of Israel.svg
1949 | 1951 | 1955 | 1959 | 1961 | 1965 | 1969 | 1973 | 1977 | 1981 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 1999 | 2003 | 2006
Israeli prime ministerial elections Image:Flag of Israel.svg
1996 | 1999 | 2001

Coordinates: 31°46′36″N, 35°12′19″Ear:كنيست إسرائيلي ast:Kneset bs:Kneset ca:Knesset cs:Kneset da:Knesset de:Knesset et:Knesset es:Knéset eo:Kneset eu:Knesset fa:کنیست fr:Knesset hr:Kneset id:Knesset it:Knesset he:הכנסת lad:La Knesset mr:क्नेसेट ms:Knesset nl:Knesset ja:クネセト no:Knesset pl:Kneset pt:Knesset ro:Knesset ru:Кнессет sl:Kneset sr:Кнесет sh:Kneset fi:Knesset sv:Knesset tr:Knesset yi:כנסת

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