How the Israeli Works Rabbi Michael L. Feshbach Hebrew Congregation of St. Thomas Tuesday, March 26, 2019 8:00 PM—9:30 PM EDT/AST

.Hebrew for "assembly") is the legislature of כנסת,) The It is located in , the capital. The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset enacts laws, confirms the Prime Minister (who is ceremonially appointed by the President), supervises the government, and holds the power to remove the President of the State and the State Comptroller from office and to dissolve itself and call new .

The Knesset first convened on February 14, 1949. Elections are held at a minimum every four years — more frequently if the coalition crumbles, the Knesset dissolves itself, or there is a successful call for new elections. At each elec- tion, 120 members of the Knesset (MKs) are chosen, based on proportional alloca- tion of the vote to party lists. The Government of Israel must be approved by a ma- jority vote of the Knesset.

The Knesset has de jure parliamentary supremacy and can pass any laws by a simple majority, even those that conflict with the , as it is also a Constit- uent Assembly. Nonetheless, the Knesset's right to function effectively has been greatly curtailed due to the low threshold party list proportional representation that usually results in a fractious government dependent on unstable coalitions.

Based on “Wikipedia” Central points about the Israeli Government: Unicameral, party-based, single-district parliamentary democracy.

Models of democracy: European vrs. American.

A Parliamentary Democracy: The Executive Branch emerges out of results from the to the Legislature.

Differences within Parliamentary systems: France, Germany, Britain

Unicameral chamber

Party-based

National slate (not district based)

The Knesset consists of 120 seats, so 61 is “the magic number”

No single party has ever “won” an election.

Power: before and after an election.

Factors and considerations: The “Threshold” (changes the number of elected parties) “Wasted” votes and vote-sharing agreements. A failed experiment: of the Prime Minister Possible electoral reform: election by district.