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Knesset
*** Shopping-Tip: Knesset
{{current}}
Image:Knesset in Jerusalem Israel.jpg thumb|250px|The modern Knesset building, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem|right
{| class="infobox" style="text-align: center; font-size:11px;; border:0"
|{{Politics of Israel}}
|{{Israelis}}
|}
{{dablink|Though similar-sounding, Beit Knesset (''
w:he:בית ×›× ×¡×ª בית ×›× ×¡×ª'') literally means "House of Assembly," and refers to a
synagogue.}}
The '''Knesset''' (כנסת,
Hebrew language Hebrew for "assembly") is the
Parliament of
Israel. It is located in
Jerusalem.
The
legislative branch of the
Government of Israel Israeli government, the Knesset enacts
Law 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 Israel President of the State and the
Comptroller of Israel 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.
By majority vote the Knesset can pass acts that do not conflict with the
Basic Law of Israel Basic Laws, the de facto constitution. Several Basic Laws need special majority of at least 61 MKs, and in some cases 80 MKs, to be ammended.
Latest election
{{main|Israel legislative election, 2006}}
{{Israel legislative election, 2006}}
Knesset location and building
The current Knesset building is located on a hilltop in the west of
Jerusalem, it was paid for by
James Armand de Rothschild 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.{{fact}}
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 16
th Assembly ( הכנסת ה 16, ha-Knesset ha-Shesh-Esre).
Composition of the 1st Knesset (elected 1949)
*
Mapai 46
*
Mapam 19
*United Religious Front 16
*
Herut Herut Movement 14
*
General Zionists 7
*Progressive Party 5
*
Sephardim and the Edot of the Mizrah 4
*
Communist Party of Israel Maki 4
*Democratic Party of Nazareth (assoc. with
Mapai) 2
*Fighters List 1
*
Women's International Zionist Organization WIZO 1
*Yemenite Association 1
{{see|List of Members of the 1st Israeli Knesset Assembly}}
Composition of the 2nd Knesset (elected 1951)
*
Mapai 45
*
General Zionists 20
*
Mapam* 15
*Hapo'el Hamizrahi 8
*
Herut Herut Movement 8
*
Communist Party of Israel Maki 5
*Progressive Party 4
*Democratic list of Israeli Arabs
** 3
*
Agudat Israel of Israel 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
Composition of the 3rd Knesset (elected 1955)
*
Mapai 40
*
Herut Herut Movement 15
*
General Zionists 13
*United Religious Front 11
*Ahdut Ha'avodah 10
*
Mapam 9
*Religious Torah Front 6
*
Communist Party of Israel Maki 6
*Progressive Party 5
*Democratic list of Israeli Arabs
* 2
*Kidmah Va'avodah
* 2
*Hakla`ut Ufituah
* 1
*Minority lists associated with
Mapai
Composition of the 4th Knesset (elected 1959)
*
Mapai 47
*
Herut Herut Movement 17
*
National Religious Party 12
*
Mapam 9
*
General Zionists 8
*
Ahdut Ha'avodah 7
*Religious Torah Front 6
*Progressive Party 6
*
Communist Party of Israel Maki 3
*Kidmah Ufituah
* 2
*Shituf Ve`ahvah
* 2
*Hakla`ut Ufituah
* 1
*Minority lists associated with
Mapai
Composition of the 5th Knesset (elected 1961)
*
Mapai 42
*
Herut Herut Movement 17
*
Liberal Party of Israel Liberals (
General Zionists and
Progressive party) 17
*
National Religious Party 12
*
Mapam 9
*
Ahdut Ha'avodah 8
*
Communist Party of Israel Maki 5
*
Agudat Israel of Israel Agudat Yisrael 4
*
Po'alei Agudat Yisrael 2
*Shituf Ve`ahvah
* 2
*Kidmah Ufituah
* 2
*Minority lists associated with
Mapai
Composition of the 6th Knesset (elected 1965)
*
Labour (Israel) Labour Alignment (
Mapai and Ahdut Ha'avodah) 45
*
Gahal (
Herut Herut Movement and
Liberal Party of Israel Liberals) 26
*
National Religious Party 11
*
Rafi (party) Rafi (split from Mapai) 10
*
Mapam 8
*Independent Liberals (split from Liberals) 5
*
Agudat Israel of Israel Agudat Yisrael 4
*
Rakah (split from Maki) 3
*Kidmah Ufituah
* 2
*
Po'alei Agudat Yisrael 2
*Shituf Ve`ahvah
* 2
*Ha'olam Hazeh-Koah Hadash 1
*
Communist Party of Israel Maki 1
*Minority lists associated with
Mapai
Composition of the 7th Knesset (elected 1969)
*
Labour (Israel) Labour Alignment (includes
Mapam and Rafi) 56
*
Gahal 26
*
National Religious Party 12
*
Agudat Israel of Israel Agudat Yisrael 4
*Independent Liberals 4
*
State List (split from Rafi) 3
*
Rakah 3
*Kidmah Ufituah
* 2
*
Po'alei Agudat Yisrael 2
*Shituf Ve`ahvah
* 2
*Ha'olam Hazeh-Koah Hadash 2
*Hamerkaz Hahofshi (split from Gahal) 2
*
Communist Party of Israel Maki 1
*Minority lists associated with
Mapai
Composition of the 8th Knesset (elected 1973)
*
Labour (Israel) Labour Alignment 51
*
Likud (Gahal, State List and Hamerkaz Hahofshi) 39
*
National Religious Party 10
*United Torah Front 5
*Independent Liberals 4
*
Rakah 4
*
Ratz (split from Labour) 3
*Kidmah Ufituah
* 2
*
Moked 1
*Arab list for Bedhouins and Villagers
* 1
*Minority lists associated with
Mapai
Composition of the 9th Knesset (elected 1977)
*
Likud 43
*
Labour (Israel) Labour Alignment 32
-
DASH 15
*
National Religious Party 12
*
Hadash (includes
Communist Party of Israel Rakah) 5
*United Torah Front 5
*
Agudat Israel of Israel Agudat Yisrael 4
-
Plato Sharon 1
*
Shlomtzion Party Shlomtzion 2
*
Shelli 2
*United Arab List
* 1
*
Po'alei Agudat Yisrael 1
*
Ratz 1
*Independent Liberals 1
*Minority lists associated with
Mapai
Composition of the 10th Knesset (elected 1981)
*
Likud 48
*
Labour (Israel) Labour Alignment 47
*
National Religious Party 6
*
Agudat Israel of Israel Agudat Yisrael 4
*
Hadash 4
*
Tami 3
*
Tehiya (split from Likud) 3
*
Telem (party) Telem 2
*
Shinui (split from Dash) 2
*
Ratz 1
Composition of the 11th Knesset (elected 1984)
*
Labour (Israel) Labour Alignment 44
*
Likud 41
*
Tehiya-
Tsomet 5
*
National Religious Party 4
*
Hadash 4
*
Shas 4
*
Shinui 3
*
Ratz 3
*
Yachad (centrist party)* 3
*
Progressive List for Peace 2
*
Agudat Israel of Israel Agudat Yisrael 2
*Morasha-Po'aeli Agudat Yisrael 2
*
Tami 1
*
Kach 1
*
Ometz 1
* no connection with the
Yachad party formed in 2004.
Composition of the 12th Knesset (elected 1988)
*
Likud 40
*
Labour (Israel) Labour Alignment 39
*
Shas 6
*
Agudat Israel of Israel Agudat Yisrael 5
*
Ratz 5
*
National Religious Party 4
*
Hadash 4
*
Tehiya 3
*
Mapam (having left the
Labour (Israel) Labour Alignment) 3
*
Tsomet 2
*
Moledet 2
*
Shinui 2
*
Degel Hatorah 2
*
Progressive List for Peace 1
*
Arab Democratic Party 1
Composition of the 13th Knesset (elected 1992)
*
Labour (Israel) Labour 44
*
Likud 32
*
Meretz (includes
Mapam,
Shinui and
Ratz) 12
*
Tsomet 8
*
National Religious Party 6
*
Shas 6
*Yahadut Hatorah 4
*
Hadash 3
*
Moledet 3
*
Arab Democratic Party 2
Composition of the 14th Knesset (elected 1996)
*
Labour (Israel) Labour 34
*
Likud Likud-Gesher-Tsomet 32
*
Shas 10
*
National Religious Party 9
*
Meretz 9
*
Yisrael Ba`aliyah 7
*
Hadash 5
*Yahadut Hatorah 4
*
The Third Way 4
*
United Arab List 4
*
Moledet 2
Composition of the 15th Knesset (elected 1999)
*
Labour (Israel) One Israel (Labour) 26
*
Likud 19
*
Shas 17
*
Meretz 10
*
Yisrael Ba`aliyah 6
*
Shinui 6
*
Centre Party (Israel) The Center Party 6
*
National Religious Party 5
*
United Torah Judaism 5
*
United Arab List 5
*
National Union 4
*
Hadash 3
*
Yisrael Beiteinu 4
*National Democratic Alliance (
Balad (Israel) Balad) 2
*One Nation - for Israeli Workers and Pensioners (
Am Ekhad) 2
Composition of the 16th Knesset (Israel legislative election, 2003 elected 2003)
{{Israeli legislative election, 2003}}
In
November 2005, Amir Peretz was elected as leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon established the centrist
Kadima Party, which quickly drew support from moderate MKs across the Knesset. These events resulted in drastic upheaval in the composition of the Knesset, which, as of January 2006, consists of:
*
Likud 27
*
Labour (Israel) Labour 21
*
Kadima (split from Likud) 14
*
Shinui 14
*
Shas 11
*
National Union 7
*
Meretz 6
*
National Religious Party 4
*
Agudat Israel 3
*
Hadash 3
*
Balad (Israel) Balad 3
*
United Arab List 2
*
Degel HaTorah 2
*
Renewed Religous National Zionism (split from National Religious Party) 2
*
Tzalash (
Yosef Paritzki, split from Shinui) 1
Composition of the 17th Knesset (Israel legislative election, 2006 elected 2006)
The following data is based on preliminary results from the
Israel legislative election, 2006 election held on March 28, 2006, and does not represent a final or official count:
*
Kadima 29
*
Labour (Israel) Labour 19
*
Shas 12
*
Likud 12
*
Yisrael Beytenu 11
*
National Union/
National Religious Party* 9
*
Gil - Gimla'ey Yisrael LaKneset Gil 7
*
United Torah Judaism** 6
*
Meretz-Yachad 5
*
United Arab List 4
*
Hadash 3
*
Balad (Israel) Balad 3
*The National Union and National Religious parties submitted a single list for this election, and may be considered one party.
**In similar fashion,
Agudat Israel and
Degel HaTorah submitted a single list under the banner of United Torah Judaism.
See also
*
List of Knesset members
*
List of Knesset speakers
*
List of political parties in Israel
*
List of Israelis
*
List of Likud Knesset Members
*
Tzomet List of Tzomet Knesset Members
*
Prime Minister of Israel
*
President of Israel
*
Politics of Israel
*
Basic Laws of Israel
*
Law of Return
*
Israeli Security Forces
External links
-
Official website
-
Official website (English)
-
Parliamentary Groups in the Knesset
-
Minorities - Arab representatives in the Israeli Parliament
-
Jerusalem Photo Archive - Knesset
Category:Government of Israel
Category:Politics of Israel
Category:Israel
Category:National legislatures Israel
Category:Parliaments by country Israel
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