Israel has the Knesset as its national legislature.
The Knesset is Israel’s unicameral parliament, meaning it has one legislative chamber rather than separate upper and lower houses. It passes laws, approves the government, supervises ministers, elects the president, and can remove certain officials through constitutional procedures. The Knesset meets in Jerusalem.
The institution first convened on February 14, 1949, after Israel’s first legislative election. Its name comes from the ancient Great Assembly, traditionally described as a gathering of 120 Jewish sages and leaders. The modern Knesset also has 120 members, a number chosen partly to echo that historical tradition.
Members are elected through nationwide proportional representation, with voters choosing party lists rather than individual constituency candidates. This system usually produces coalition governments because several parties must cooperate to command a majority. A frequent mistake is to treat the Knesset as Israel’s executive government; it is the legislature, while the prime minister leads the government formed with parliamentary support.