Cabinet of Israel

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The Government of Israel (officially: Hebrew: ממשלת ישראל‎ Memshelet Yisrael) exercises executive authority in the State of Israel. It consists of ministers who are chosen and led by the prime minister. The composition of the government must be approved by a vote of confidence in the Knesset (the Israeli parliament). Under Israeli law, the prime minister may dismiss members of the government, but must do so in writing, and new appointees must be approved by the Knesset. Most ministers lead ministries, though some are ministers without portfolio. Most ministers are members of the Knesset, though only the Prime Minister and the "designated acting prime minister" are required to be Knesset members. Some ministers are also called deputy and vice prime ministers. Unlike the designated acting prime minister, these roles have no statutory meanings. The government operates in accordance with the Basic Law. It meets on Sundays weekly in Jerusalem. There may be additional meetings if circumstances require it. The prime minister convenes these meetings. On 30 May 2019, a vote was passed to temporarily dissolve the Knesset until September 2019.^[1][2]

Use of terms

The body discussed in this article is referred to in Israeli official documents as the Government of Israel. This is in accordance to the normal translation of its Hebrew name, (Hebrew: ממשלה‎, Memshala). In Israel, the term cabinet (Hebrew: קבינט‎) is generally used for the State-Security Cabinet (Hebrew: הקבינט המדיני-ביטחוני‎ HaKabinet haMedini-Bitachoni), a smaller forum of cabinet members that decides on defense and foreign policy issues and may consist of up to half of the (full) cabinet members. Another term in use is the Kitchen Cabinet (Hebrew: המטבחון‎, HaMitbahon, lit. "The kitchenette"), a collection of senior officials, or unofficial advisers to the Security Cabinet of Israel.

Provisional and first governments of Israel

The first government was the provisional government of Israel (HaMemshala HaZmanit) which governed from shortly before independence until the formation of the first formal government in March 1949 following the first Knesset elections in January that year. It was formed as the People's Administration (Minhelet HaAm) on 12 April 1948, in preparation for independence just over a month later. All its thirteen members were taken from Moetzet HaAm, the temporary legislative body set up at the same time.

Current government

This government (the Fourth Netanyahu Government) has 21 ministers and seven deputy ministers. Prime Minister is Benjamin Netanyahu. The most prominent figures of the new government include: Minister of Defense Moshe Yaalon of the Likud party (until 2016), Minister of Finance Moshe Kahlon of the Kulanu party, Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked of the New Right (until 2019), Minister of Development of the Negev and Galilee Aryeh Deri of the Shas movement, Minister of Education and Minister of Diaspora Affairs Naftali Bennet of the New Right (until 2019), Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman of the United Torah Judaism, Minister of Public Security and Minister of Strategic Affairs Gilad Erdan of the Likud party.

Deri resigned his post as economy minister reportedly in protest of a gas monopoly deal. Netanyahu took the portfolio himself and promised to speed up the deal.^[3]

The Knesset, and with it the legislative activity of the current cabinet, voted to dissolve itself on May 30, 2019.^[2][1][4][5]

See also

• Basic Law: The Government
• List of female cabinet ministers of Israel

References

External links

• Current and past cabinets — Knesset website (in English)
• Basic Law: The Government (2001) — Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in English)