文档介绍：Appendix 1
Basic Facts about Israel
Official Name
Medinat Yisrael (State of Israel)
Government
Israel is a parliamentary democracy but has no formal written constitu-
tion. A series of Basic Laws has been enacted since independence that
guide Israel’s actions and are intended to form portions of a consolidated
constitutional document. These include: The Knesset; The Lands of
Israel; The President; The Government; The State Economy; The Army;
Jerusalem, the Capital of Israel; The Judiciary; The ptroller;
Human Dignity and Liberty; and Freedom of Occupation.
Executive Branch
Chief of state: president; elected by the Knesset for a seven-year term.
Head of government: prime minister.
Government (): chosen by prime minister and approved by the
Knesset.
Legislative Branch
Knesset (unicameral parliament): 120 members; elected by popular
vote for a four-year term.
Judicial Branch
Supreme Court: justices; appointed for life by the president.
Political Parties
Israel’s political parties trace their origins to the 1920s and 1930s when
three categories of parties developed: the labor or socialist left, the
center and nationalist right, and the religious parties. These parties had
grown out of movements, clubs, and other groups that began to develop
around the Zionist movement in Europe at the turn of the century.
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New parties, mostly small, have developed out of Israel’s recent
political experiences, for example, Sephardic parties, parties taking a
“dovish” stand on the Arab-Israeli conflict, and parties representing
new munities, such as those from the former Soviet
Union. These special-interest parties are often active for relatively short
periods before disbanding or merging into larger parties.
Legal System
Israel’s legal system is a mixture of mon law and British
mandate regulations. For personal status matters, Jewish, Muslim, or
Christian law is applied accordingly.
Political Divisions
Capital
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