Knesset

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Israel
Image:Coat of arms of Israel.png This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Israel

Basic Laws Jerusalem Law Law of Return President Moshe Katsav Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Cabinet State Comptroller Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik Members Elections: 2003, 2006 Parties Knesset Elections Law Judicial system Supreme Court Districts Regional council Local council Foreign affairs Israel and the UN Israel and the EU Israeli-Palestinian conflict Arab-Israeli conflict International Law Arab League
Other countries • Politics Portal view • talk • edit</div>

Geography
Image:Coat of arms of Israel.png State of Israel Image:Flag of Israel.svg
Land of Israel · Districts · Cities Transportation · Mediterranean Dead Sea · Red Sea · Sea of Galilee Jerusalem · Tel Aviv · Haifa
History
Jewish history · Timeline · Zionism · Aliyah Herzl · Balfour · Mandate · 1947 UN Plan Independence · Flag · Austerity · Refugees
Arab-Israeli conflict · Proposals
1948 War · 1949 Armistice · Suez War Six-Day War · Attrition War Yom Kippur War · Lebanon War Israel-Lebanon conflict Peace treaties with: Egypt, Jordan
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Timeline · Peace process · Peace camp 1st Intifada · Oslo · 2nd Intifada Terrorism · Barrier · Disengagement
Economy
Science & technology · Companies Tourism · Wine · Diamonds Military industry
Demographics · Culture
Religion · Israeli Arabs · Kibbutz Music · Archaeology · Universities Hebrew · Literature · Sport · Israelis
Laws · Politics
Law of Return · Jerusalem Law Parties · Elections · PM · President Knesset · Supreme Court · Courts
Foreign affairs
Intl. Law · UN · US · Arab League
Security Forces
Israel Defense Forces Intelligence Community · Security Council Police · Border Police · Prison Service
Portal:Israel
This box: view • talk • edit</div>

Though similar-sounding, Beit Knesset (בית כנסת) literally means "House of Assembly," and refers to a synagogue.

The Knesset (כנסת, Hebrew for "assembly") is the legislature of Israel. It is located in Jerusalem, its capital.

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 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.

The Knesset is guarded by the Knesset Guard.

1 Latest election
2 Knesset location and building
3 The Knesset Assemblies
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Latest election

Main article: Israel legislative election, 2006

[discuss] – [edit]
**Summary of the 28 March 2006 **Knesset** of Israel election results**
Parties	Votes	%	Seats	+/-
Kadima ¹	690,901	22.02%	29	new
Labour-Meimad ²	472,366	15.06%	19	-2
Shas	299,054	9.53%	12	+1
Likud ³	281,996	8.989%	12	-15
Israel Beytenu ⁴	281,880	8.985%	11	+8
National Union - National Religious Party ⁵ National Union Moledet Tkuma Renewed Religious National Zionist party National Religious Party	224,083	7.14%	9	-1
Gil	185,759	5.92%	7	new
United Torah Judaism Agudat Israel Degel HaTorah	147,091	4.69%	6	+1
Meretz-Yachad	118,302	3.77%	5	-1
Ra'am-Ta'al	94,786	3.02%	4	+2
Hadash	86,092	2.74%	3	0
Balad	72,066	2.30%	3	0
Green Party	47,595	1.52%	0	0
Ale Yarok	40,353	1.29%	0	0
Jewish National Front	24,824	0.79%	0	0
Tafnit	18,753	0.60%	0	0
Hetz ⁶	10,113	0.33%	0	new
Shinui ⁷	4,675	0.16%	0	-15
Other parties	36,375	1.16%	0	0
Total	3,137,064	100%	120
Eligible voters: 5,014,622 Total votes cast: 3,186,739 (Turnout 63.6%) Spoiled ballots: 49,675 (1.56% of votes cast) Valid ballots: 3,137,064 Threshold (2%): 62,741 Votes per seat: 24,620
¹ 14 Knesset members joined Kadima in November 2005, 13 of them from Likud. ² One Nation (3 Knesset members) merged with Labour (19 Knesset members) in 2004. ³ Israel Ba-Aliya (2 Knesset members) merged with Likud (38 Knesset members) in 2003, 13 MKs split and joined Kadima in 2005. ⁴ Israel Beytenu (3 Knesset members) split from the National Union (7 Knesset members) in 2003. ⁵ National Religious Party (6 Knesset members) joined the National Union (4 Knesset members after the split ⁴) prior to the election. ⁶ 9 Knesset members split from Shinui and joined Hetz prior to the elections. ⁷ Only 2 Knesset members were left from the original faction after the split⁶ prior to the elections.

[edit] Knesset location and building

The current Knesset building is located on a hilltop in the west of Jerusalem; it was paid for by James A. de Rothschild as a gift to the State of Israel. Before the 1948 Arab-Israeli War there was an Arab settlement called Sheikh Badr on the site. The Knesset has had several locations:

February 14, 1949: First meeting of the Constituent Assembly, Jewish Agency building, Jerusalem.
March 8, 1949-December 14, 1949: Sittings held in the Kessem Cinema in Tel Aviv.
December 26, 1949-March 8, 1950: Reconvenes in the Jewish Agency building, Jerusalem.
March 13, 1950: Temporary location at "Froumine Building", King George Street, Jerusalem.
1957: James A. de Rothschild advises Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion that he will donate the funds for the permanent Knesset building.
October 14, 1958: Laying of the cornerstone for new Knesset building.
August 31, 1966: Dedication of the new building during the sixth Knesset.
1981: New wing built, opened in 1992.
2005: Additional wing presently being built.

The Knesset building is built on land leased from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] The Knesset Assemblies

The Knesset term (the condition of the Knesset between two general elections for parliament) is called "Assembly". For example: the first term of the Knesset from 1949 to 1951 was called "The 1^st assembly" הכנסת הראשונה. The current assembly is the 17^th Assembly ( "הכנסת ה "17, ha-Knesset ha-Shvah-Esre).

[edit] Composition of the 1st Knesset (elected 1949)

Mapai 46
Mapam 19
United Religious Front 16
Herut Movement 14
General Zionists 7
Progressive Party 5
Sephardim and the Edot of the Mizrah 4
Maki 4
Democratic List of Nazareth (Arab party assoc. with Mapai) 2
Fighters List 1
WIZO 1
Yemenite Association 1

Further information: List of Members of the 1st Israeli Knesset Assembly

[edit] Composition of the 2nd Knesset (elected 1951)

Mapai 45
General Zionists 20
Mapam* 15
Hapo'el Hamizrahi 8
Herut Movement 8
Maki 5
Progressive Party 4
Democratic List for Israeli Arabs** 3
Agudat Yisrael 3
Spharadim and Edot Mizrah 2
Po'alei Agudat Yisrael 2
Hamizrahi 2
Kidmah Va'avodah** 1
Yemenite Association 1
Hakla`ut Ufituah** 1

*Mapam and Ahdut Ha'avodah-Po'alei Zion split in the course of the term, but the Knesset Parliamentary Group remained united.

**Minority lists associated with Mapai