Israeli Parliament - Knesset: powers, elections. Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:53

The politicization of public life in the modern world involves every conscious citizen in politics. The younger generation knows the three branches of power and the need to separate them from their school days. Various forms of government and the effectiveness of their work are the object of close attention of conscious citizens. If you try to understand these issues, interest in the state structure of successful countries makes you look around. This explains the interest in the youngest state of Israel. It is a multi-party parliamentary republic in which the main legislative body is the Israeli Parliament.

Historic retreat

This state was formed by a strong-willed decision to cancel the British mandate for Palestine. The UN General Assembly resolution of 1947-29-11 proclaimed the creation of two states on the lands of Palestine: Jewish Israel and Arab Palestine. Israel's history and economic success is enigmatic, as is its capital. Tel Aviv is the capital of the state. Later, in 1949,Jerusalem was declared the capital. But for most of the world, Tel Aviv remains the capital.

In 2017, on the day of the Jewish holiday of trees (Tu Bishvat), namely February 14, the Israeli Parliament celebrated the 68th anniversary of its first meeting. It was held at the headquarters of the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem. And already on February 16, the parliament was renamed the Knesset of Israel and began building the country's legislation.

Knesset history

The name of the legislature, the Knesset, dates back to the 5th century BC Knesset Hagdola (great assembly) held in Jerusalem after the return of the Jews from Babylon. The number of deputies was taken from the same tradition - 120 people.

The history of Israel and the influence of Britain in terms of the organization of the Assembly of Representatives during the period of the British Mandate are smoothly inscribed in the traditions of the Knesset as a state structure. And Judaism plays an important role in this.

Religion and Politics

Religion plays a significant role in the political and legal life of the country - Judaism, which in Israel is not separated from the state. The relationship between the state and religion is clearly regulated by religious norms, some of which are far from democratic. These are obligatory religious marriages, and the close connection of education and the army with religious structures and organizations, the dependence of the legal status of citizens on their religion, Talmudic principles in legislation, various kinds of religious courts.

Structure of the Knesset

As already mentioned, according to the constitutional structureIsrael is a republic with a unicameral parliament. All activities, powers, rules of work and elections are prescribed in the Basic Law "On Parliament" (1958).

The Knesset has 120 members. It is headed by a chairman (speaker), who can have from two to eight deputies elected from parliamentarians. The Speaker and his deputies form the Presidium of the Knesset.

Parliamentarians are united in commissions and committees that reflect the needs of the state. The law does not regulate either the number of committees and commissions or the number of parliamentarians included in them.

The role of the Knesset in the life of the state

There is no constitution in the country, all normative and legal life is regulated by the fundamental laws. The main function of the Israeli parliament is to pass laws and amend them as the need arises. The legislative power of the Knesset is virtually unlimited - a law cannot be vetoed and cannot be overturned even by the Supreme Court.

The Knesset also has fairly broad powers in relation to the executive branch. He is empowered to direct and supervise the actions of the Government. At the meeting of the Knesset, the budget is approved, parliamentary checks of the Cabinet of Ministers are carried out. He has the right to announce a vote of no confidence and dismiss the Cabinet of Ministers. The Knesset determines the amount of all taxes. Only the Israeli Parliament elects the chairman and his deputies, elects the rabbis of Israel by secret ballot, elects and dismisses from officeComptroller of State and President of the country. He approves the positions of ministers and determines the amount of wages of all the highest officials of the state. The Israeli parliament passes laws that allow the government to declare a state of emergency and ratifies all international treaties.

Knesset members are inviolable

The status of parliamentarians is spelled out in the law "On Parliament". The essence of their powers is as follows:

• They are granted lifelong personal immunity from prosecution for activities related to their duties as members of the Knesset.
• For the duration of their service, they are immune to personal and home searches, but this does not include customs inspections.
• Can only be arrested if caught in the act.

All types of immunities may be lifted by decision of the Knesset.

How to become a parliamentarian in Israel

First you need to be an Israeli citizen, become a member of one of the twenty parties and get into the passing number in the next Knesset elections.

At the end of the four-year term of parliament, new elections are scheduled for the third Tuesday of the month of Cheshvan. The percentage barrier for the party is 3.25%. It overcomes no more than ten parties. Seats in parliament between the past parties are distributed in proportion to the votes of voters.

The center of political life - the Knesset building

The building where the Knesset sits is notonly the center of the political life of the country, but also an architectural monument with its own history. The parliament building appeared in 1966. In 1956 the government decided that a separate building was needed for the legislative branch. A competition for an architectural project was announced. The government did not foresee finances, and local architects ignored this competition. Except for one - Joseph Klarwein. A few days before the end of the competition, it turned out that the philanthropist and millionaire James Armand Edmond de Rothschild left six million pounds in his will for the construction of the Knesset. The winner of the contest has been announced. And construction began. Today it is a comfortable building in the historic center of Jerusalem. The walls of the building are decorated with tapestries with scenes from the Old Testament and mosaics by Marc Chagall. British sculptor Benno Elkana is the author of a huge minor in front of the Parliament building. And David Palombo, an Israeli sculptor of Turkish origin, is the author of the Burning Bush sculpture.

Opposite the Knesset, with the money of the same Rothschilds, a Rose Garden was laid out, in which there are 450 varieties of roses.

The building offers guided tours every day except Friday and Saturday. Moreover, the tours are conducted in seven languages. But keep in mind that only certain clothes are allowed into the building.

Knesset Speaker 2017

Since 2013, an emigrant from the USSR Yuli Yuryevich Edelshtein has become the speaker of the Israeli parliament. Born in the family of an Orthodox priest in 1958 in the city of Chernivtsi, he graduated from school in Kostroma. Was expelled fromMoscow Pedagogical University in 1979 for the desire to emigrate to Israel. Before reaching the land of Israel in 1987, he went through KGB persecution and imprisonment.

In Israel, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein immediately got involved in political life. Seven times in a row he was a member of parliament, held a number of posts in the Cabinet of Ministers. Today, he is serving as Speaker of the Israeli Knesset for his second term.