Legal System of Israel

Israel is located in Middle East. It is geographically situated in middle east, bordering the mediterranean sea, between egypt and lebanon. The country achieved independence on 14 may 1948 (following league of nations mandate under british administration). The capital is Jerusalem.

Government Overview

Government Type: parliamentary democracy Chief of State: President Isaac HERZOG (since 7 July 2021) Head of Government: Prime Minister Benyamin NETANYAHU (since 29 December 2022) Cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset Administrative Divisions: 6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv National Holiday: Independence Day, 14 May (1948) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; 17 years of age for municipal elections

Legal System

The legal system of Israel is described as mixed system of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious laws International Law: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2002

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: no formal constitution; some functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws, and the Law of Return (as amended) Amendment Process: proposed by Government of Israel ministers or by the Knesset; passage requires a majority vote of Knesset members and subject to Supreme Court judicial review

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the president, deputy president, 13 justices, and 2 registrars) and normally sits in panels of 3 justices; in special cases, the panel is expanded with an uneven number of justices Judge Selection: judges selected by the 9-member Judicial Selection Committee, consisting of the Minister of Justice (chair), the president of the Supreme Court, two other Supreme Court justices, 1 other Cabinet minister, 2 Knesset members, and 2 representatives of the Israel Bar Association; judges can serve up to mandatory retirement at age 70 Subordinate Courts: district and magistrate courts; national and regional labor courts; family and juvenile courts; special and Rabbinical courts

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of unicameral Note: note 1: a 3.25% vote threshold is required to gain representation

note 2: following the 1 November 2022 election, the Religious Zionism Alliance split into its three constituent parties in the Knesset:  Religious Zionism 7 seats, Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit) 6, and Noam 1

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Israel Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; 17 years of age for municipal elections

Historical Background

Israel has become a regional economic and military powerhouse, leveraging its prosperous high-tech sector, large defense industry, and concerns about Iran to foster partnerships around the world. The State of Israel was established in 1948. The UN General Assembly proposed in 1947 partitioning the British Mandate for Palestine into an Arab and Jewish state. The Jews accepted the proposal, but the local Arabs and the Arab states rejected the UN plan and launched a war.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Israel based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.