Government and Politics of Israel

Government Type

parliamentary democracy

Administrative Divisions

6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv

Legal System

mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Israel dual citizenship recognized: yes, but naturalized citizens are not allowed to maintain dual citizenship residency requirement for naturalization: 3 out of the 5 years preceding the application for naturalization note: Israeli law (Law of Return, 5 July 1950) provides for the granting of citizenship to any Jew - defined as a person being born to a Jewish mother or having converted to Judaism while renouncing any other religion - who immigrates to and expresses a desire to settle in Israel on the basis of the Right of aliyah; the 1970 amendment of this act extended the right to family members including the spouse of a Jew, any child or grandchild, and the spouses of children and grandchildren

Executive Branch

chief of state: President Isaac HERZOG (since 7 July 2021) head of government: Prime Minister Benjamin NETANYAHU (since 29 December 2022); note - NETANYAHU previously served as prime minister from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021 cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset elections: president is largely a ceremonial role and is elected by the Knesset for a single seven-year term; election last held 2 June 2021 (next to be held 2028); following legislative elections, the president assigns a Knesset member — traditionally the leader of the largest party — the task of forming a governing coalition; election last held 1 November 2022 (next to be held by October 2026) election results: Isaac HERZOG elected president by the 120-member Knesset, receiving 87 votes against opponent Miriam PERETZ, who received 26 votes; Benjamin NETANYAHU returned as prime minister following the November 2022 Knesset elections, in which his Likud party won 32 seats; NETANYAHU subsequently formed a coalition government composed of Likud, Shas, United Torah Judaism, Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit, and Noam, representing the most right-wing government in Israel's history; the coalition commands 64 seats in the 120-member Knesset

Legislative Branch

unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 29 March 2006 (next scheduled to be held 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Kadima 28, Labor 20, Shas 13, Yisrael Beiteinu 12, Likud 11, National Union 9, Gil-Gimla'ey Yisrael LaKneset 7, United Torah Judaism 6, Meretz 4, United Arab List 4, Hadash 3, Balad 3

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court (justices appointed for life by the president)

Political Parties

Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) [Muhammad BARAKA]; Green Leaf Party (no longer active) [Boaz WACHTEL and Shlomi SANDAK]; Herut (no longer active) [Michael KLEINER]; Kadima (formed in November 2005) [Ariel SHARON]; Labor Party [Amir PERETZ]; Likud Party [leader NA]; Meretz (merged with YAHAD) [Zahava GALON]; National Democratic Assembly (Balad) [Azmi BISHARA]; National Religious Party [Ephraim “Efie” EITAM]; National Union (Haichud Haleumi) [Avigdor LIBERMAN] (includes Tekuma Moledet and Yisra'el Beiteinu); One Nation [David TAL]; Shas [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Shinui [Yosef “Tommy” LAPID]; Tzalash (Zionism, Liberty, and Equality) [Joseph PARITZKY]; United Arab List [Abd al-Malik DAHAMSHAH]; United Torah Judaism [Yaakov LITZMAN]; YAHAD [Yossi BEILIN]; Yisra'el Ba'Aliya or YBA (merged with Likud but no longer active) [Natan SHARANSKY]; Yisrael Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]

Head of State

President Shimon PERES

Head of Government

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu

Cabinet

Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset

Elections

president is largely a ceremonial role and is elected by the Knesset for a seven-year term (one-term limit); election last held 13 June 2007 (next to be held in 2014 but can be called earlier); following legislative elections, the president assigns a Knesset member - traditionally the leader of the largest party - the task of forming a governing coalition

Election Results

Shimon PERES elected president; number of votes in first round - Shimon PERES 58, Reuven RIVLIN 37, Colette AVITAL 21; PERES elected president in second round with 86 votes (unopposed)

Constitution

no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law

Independence

14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 14 May (1948); note - Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May

International Organization Participation

BIS, BSEC (observer), CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW (signatory), OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic Representation in the U.S.

chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel AYALON chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 364-5500 FAX: [1] (202) 364-5560 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco

U.S. Diplomatic Representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Richard H. JONES embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv 63903 mailing address: PSC 98, Box 29, APO AE 09830 telephone: [972] (3) 519-7369/7453/7454/7457/7458/7551/7575 FAX: [972] (3) 516-4390 consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note - an independent US mission, established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign government

Capital City

Jerusalem; note - the US recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017 without taking a position on the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty

Location

31 46 N, 35 14 E

Time Difference

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

History

Jerusalem's settlement may date back to 2800 B.C.; it is named Urushalim in Egyptian texts of the 14th century B.C.; uru-shalim likely means "foundation of [by] the god Shalim", and derives from Hebrew/Semitic yry, "to found or lay a cornerstone", and Shalim, the Canaanite god of dusk and the nether world; Shalim was associated with sunset and peace and the name is based on the same S-L-M root from which Semitic words for "peace" are derived (Salam or Shalom in modern Arabic and Hebrew); this confluence has thus led to naming interpretations such as "The City of Peace" or "The Abode of Peace"

TEL AVIV: The U.S. Embassy is located at 71 Hayarkon Street in Tel Aviv.The U.S. mailing address is 9700 Tel Aviv Place, Washington, DC 20521-9700. The telephone number is (972) (3) 519-7575, Monday through Friday. The after-hours emergency number on weekends and from 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. local time on weekdays is (972) (3) 519-7551. The fax number is (972) (3) 516-4390, or 516-0315. The Embassy can be contacted by e-mail. Contact the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy for information and assistance in Israel and the Golan Heights, at the ports of entry at Ben Gurion Airport, Haifa Port, the northern (Shaykh Hussein) and southern (Arava) border crossings connecting Israel and Jordan, and the border crossings between Israel and Egypt. The Embassy also has a consular agent in Haifa at 26 Ben Gurion Boulevard, telephone (972) (4) 853-1470. The consular agent can provide both routine and emergency citizen services in the northern part of Israel. After normal working hours you can contact him via the Embassy. JERUSALEM: The Consular Section of the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem is located at 14 David Flusser, Jerusalem 93392 (near the former Diplomat Hotel, now the Caprice Diamond Center, in the neighborhood of Arnona). The U.S. mailing address is 6350 Jerusalem Place, Washington, DC 20521-6350. The Consular Section's public telephone number for information and assistance is (972) (2)630-4000, Monday through Friday. The after-hours emergency number on weekends and from 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. local time on weekdays is (972) (2) 622-7230. The Consular Section's fax number is (972) (2) 630-4070. You may also contact the Consulate by e-mail. Contact the Consular Section of the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem for information and assistance in Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Allenby Bridge crossing between the West Bank and Jordan.

Military Branches

Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel Naval Force (IN), Israel Air Force (IAF)

Service Age and Obligation

18 years of age for compulsory (Jews, Druzes) military service; 17 years of age for voluntary (Christians, Muslims, Circassians) military service; both sexes are obligated to military service; conscript service obligation - 36 months for enlisted men, 21 months for enlisted women, 48 months for officers; pilots commit to 9 years service; reserve obligation to age 41-51 (men), 24 (women)