Star of David (Magen David), menorah (seven-branched lampstand); national colors: blue, white.
Title | "Hatikvah" (The Hope) |
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Lyric/music | Naftali Herz IMBER/traditional, arranged by Samuel COHEN |
Date of Independence | 14 May 1948 (following League of Nations mandate under British administration) |
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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 |
Legal system | mixed legal system of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious laws |
International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2002 |
Constitution | |
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) |
Amendments | 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; 11 of the 13 Basic Laws have been amended at least once, latest in 2020 (Basic Law: the Knesset) |
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 |
Executive Branch | |
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 |
Elections/appointments | president indirectly elected by the Knesset for a single 7-year term; election last held on 2 June 2021 (next to be held in June 2028); following legislative elections, the president, in consultation with party leaders, tasks a Knesset member (usually the member of the largest party) with forming a new government |
Election results | 2021: Isaac HERZOG elected president; Knesset vote in first round - Isaac HERZOG (independent) 87, Miriam PERETZ (independent) 26, invalid/blank 7 2014: Reuven RIVLIN elected president in second round; Knesset vote - Reuven RIVLIN (Likud) 63, Meir SHEETRIT (The Movement) 53, other/invalid 4
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Legislative branch | |
Description | Unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by closed party-list proportional representation vote, with a 3.25% vote threshold to gain representation; members serve 4-year terms) |
Elections | Last held on 1 November 2022 (next to be held in November 2026) |
Election results | Percent by party - Likud 23.4%, Yesh Atid 17.8%, Religious Zionism (electoral alliance of Religious Zionist Party, Jewish Power, and Noam) 10.8%, National Unity 9.1%, Shas 8.2%, UTJ 5.9%, Yisrael Beiteinu 4.5%, United Arab List 4.1%, Hadash-Ta'al 3.8%, Labor 3.7%, Meretz 3.2%, other 1.6%; seats by party - Likud 32, Yesh Atid 24, Religious Zionism (electoral alliance of Religious Zionist Party, Jewish Power, and Noam) 14, National Unity 12, Shas 11, UTJ 7, Yisrael Beiteinu 6, Hadash-Ta'al 5, United Arab List 5, Labor 4; composition - men 90, women 30, percentage women 25%; note - 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 |
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 and term of office | 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 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador Michael HERZOG (since 1 December 2021) |
Chancery | 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
Telephone | [1] (202) 364-5500 |
FAX | [1] (202) 364-5607 |
Email address and website | [email protected] https://embassies.gov.il/washington/Pages/default.aspx |
Consulate(s) general | Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco |
Diplomatic representation from the US | |
Chief of mission | Ambassador Jacob J. LEW (since 5 November 2023) |
Embassy | 14 David Flusser Street, Jerusalem, 9378322 |
Mailing address | 6350 Jerusalem Place, Washington DC 20521-6350 |
Telephone | [972] (2) 630-4000 |
FAX | [972] (2) 630-4070 |
Email address and website | [email protected] https://il.usembassy.gov/ |
Branch office(s) | Tel Aviv |
National heritage | |
Total World Heritage Sites | 9 (all cultural) |
Selected World Heritage Site locales | Masada; Old City of Acre; White City of Tel-Aviv - the Modern Movement; Biblical Tels - Megiddo, Hazor, Beer Sheba; Incense Route - Desert Cities in the Negev; Bahá’i Holy Places; Sites of Human Evolution at Mount Carmel; Caves of Maresha and Bet-Guvrin; Necropolis of Bet She’arim |
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