Month Newsletter

Israels Government

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Some History:
Israel has a long history claiming Israel as its homeland;
before Israel, there was Canaan, which was where
Judaism is thought to have started. It then became
Israel, and then eventually Palestine, which was ruled by
Britain after World War I. The British parliament had
promised Jews their sacred land, and started homing
Jews in Palestine; something the Arabs were not happy
about. Eventually, Israel-Palestine became independent
from British rule and formed a military and democratic
government on its own.

Source:

Israel Government & Politics: How

Does the Israeli Government Work?
(n.d.). Retrieved November 08, 2016,
from
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/
jsource/Politics/how_govt_works.html

Legislative Branch: The Knesset

The Knesset is essentially the house of representatives
in Israel. There are 120 members. The Knesset fulfills
its functions by means of two arms: the plenary in which
all the Knesset members sit and the Knesset
committees (Israel Government). Bills go through this
branch of government, and it has several committees
and subcommittees.
Executive Branch: The President
The President is elected by the current Knesset. He/she
fulfills duty as the head of state. Their terms are
typically 5 years and can last an addition 5 years. This
person is typically a well-known public figure. Amongst
the President's formal functions are signing laws (even
though he has no control over their content) opening the
first meeting of the first session of a new Knesset,
receiving the credentials of new ambassadors of foreign
states, approving the appointment of civil and religious
judges, the State Comptroller and the Governor of the
Bank of Israel, pardoning prisoners or commuting their
sentences, etc. (Israel Government).
Judiciary Branch
Much like the U.S., Israel has a Supreme Court, but it
only deals with two factions: criminal and civil cases.
Most hearings held at lower courts are public. The
Supreme Court, along with the Knesset and the
president preside in Jerusalem. In addition to the
ordinary courts there are special courts, which are
authorized to deal with specific matters only. The most
important amongst these are the military courts, the
labor courts, and the religious courts. There are religious
courts of the four main religious denominations: Jewish,
Muslim, Christian and Druze. Each religious court can
only try cases applying to members of its own religious
community who are citizens of the State or permanent
residents. Since matters of personal status in Israel are
usually decided on the basis of religious laws, the

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