The Knesset (Hebrew for assembly) is the Israeli parliament, or legislative body, and is located in western Jerusalem. The unicameral parliament consists of 120 lawmakers, known as Knesset members or MKs, each chosen to represent their respective political parties for terms lasting no longer than four years between elections.
Among its functions, the Knesset enacts laws, supervises the work of the government, and reserves the power to remove the president and the state comptroller from office. It can also vote to dissolve itself and call new elections.
The first Israeli parliament convened on February 14, 1949, although it was not yet known as the Knesset. On February 16, the Constituent Assembly, as it was then called, ratified the Transition Law, thereby changing its name to the First Knesset, and elected Chaim Weizmann as the first president of the State of Israel.
The Knesset has been addressed by countless heads of state throughout the years. Undoubtedly one of the most memorable of these occasions came on November 20, 1977, when then Egyptian president Anwar Sadat took the plenum and addressed Israeli lawmakers, calling for peace between Israel and Egypt.
The ministry will collect medical information from solders' ranging from the time they were in kindergarten to recent private physician and mental health clinic visits on 3,500 people
Rafi Peretz and Bezalel Smotrich had reportedly disagreed over the latter's demands, one of which was to grant Netanyahu immunity from prosecution
The organization urges future government coalition partners to issue ultimatum: Stop sale of arms or count us out
The 21st Knesset will have more religiously observant lawmakers than before - but also more LGBTQ community members
366,016 votes went to parties that did not pass the electoral threshold, amounting to 8.49 percent of all valid votes
But there's one obstacle in Aviv Kochavi's way
Without a strong Kulanu helping to protect them, the courts could fall prey to far-reaching reforms by the new coalition. How Kahol Lavan will act in the new Knesset remains to be seen
Kulanu Chairman Moshe Kahlon says internal polling shows he lost voters because of his consistent defense of the legal system
A Druze woman, new gay lawmakers and a young rabble-rouser: 8 new faces in the 2019 Knesset – and 7 you won’t be seeing anymore
Behind the numbers: A deep dive into how Israelis voted in the election
If the Benjamin Netanyahu of 2015's election was smug, the prime minister who snagged a sweeping victory in 2019 won't stop at anything
Contradictory reports by elections committee cause confusion about whether or not Hayamin Hehadash passes threshold; Bennett demands recount
In successful night for ultra-Orthodox, Mizrahi Haredi party gets 8 seats, matching its Ashkenazi sister party, United Torah Judaism
Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud and Benny Gantz’s Kahol Lavan parties are running neck and neck ahead of Election Day Tuesday, after the most unpredictable race in years. Here is how the next government will be formed
Rehovot has long been considered a bellwether for Israeli elections, which is why leading politicians were out in force there last week — along with Bibi die-hards and youthful support for a pro-pot party
Should you trust polls? How will the settlers vote? Can Arab Israelis swing the election? How about the undecided? Everything you need to know about Netanyahu, Gantz and the political battle royale ahead of Israel's election
Appalled by the lack of substance in the frantic campaign season and with over 40 parties to choose from, these Israelis form part of what feels like the country’s largest bloc ahead of the election — wavering voters
Israeli society, the electoral system and frenetic politics make Knesset elections notoriously difficult to poll. With Netanyahu vs. Gantz, top pollster says this has been the hardest to gauge since 1996
Bill does not recognize court’s right to rule laws unconstitutional and allows the Knesset to pass laws that violate Basic Laws - specifically the Basic Law on Human Dignity and Liberty
Likud MK who commissioned study hoped to prove European countries deport Eritrean asylum seekers en masse. Instead, it showed they approve vast majority of requests, compared with Israel's 0.1 percent
Haaretz correspondents review the government's work in the past four years, ahead of the April 9 election
This is one of the most dramatic elections in the country’s history, it’s not an overstatement to say that what is at stake in the coming election is saving democracy in Israel
The Druze have a history of voting for right-wing parties, but this Election Day they vow to help unseat those behind the legislation that turned them into 'second-class citizens'
Zehut leader Moshe Feiglin also tells English-speaking audience in Tel Aviv that ‘the minute you use the word Palestinian, you stop saying the truth’
Legislation is expected to advance, but critics say it could give prime the minister authority to ask security body to look into his political rivals, if security justification is provided
Attorney who helped set up the Justice Ministry's Freedom of Information Unit quit after failing to expand the purview of her office
Appeal charges police were 'trigger-happy' the day of the incident in which Ayman Odeh claimed he was hit in the head and injured by a sponge-tipped bullet