MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
|
|
Israel
Index
The separation of powers between the executive and legislative
branches in the Israeli political system generally follows the
British pattern. The cabinet is the top executive policy-making
body and the center of political power in the nation. It consists
of the prime minister and an unspecified number of ministers. The
head of government must be a Knesset member, but this is not a
requirement for ministers. In practice, most ministers have been
Knesset members; when non-Knesset members are considered for
cabinet posts, their selection is subject to Knesset approval. A
deputy prime minister and deputy ministers may be appointed from
among the membership of the Knesset, usually as a result of
coalition bargaining, but in this instance only the deputy prime
minister is considered a regular cabinet member. As stated above,
in September 1984, the National Unity Government established the
position of vice prime minister, or vice premier. The vice prime
minister, who was the leader of one of the two major parties in the
unity coalition, was considered the second leading cabinet
minister.
The cabinet takes office upon confirmation by the Knesset, to
which it is collectively responsible for all its acts. To obtain
this consent, the prime minister-designate must submit a list of
cabinet members along with a detailed statement of basic principles
and policies of his or her government. The cabinet can be dissolved
if it resigns en masse, if the Knesset passes a motion of censure
against it, or if the prime minister resigns or dies. The prime
minister's resignation invalidates the cabinet, but resignations of
individual ministers do not have this effect. Since independence
all cabinets have been coalitions of parties, each coalition having
been formed to achieve the required total of sixty-one or more
Knesset seats. Although often based on political expediency,
coalition formation is also concerned with ideological and issue
compatibility among the participating groups. Cabinet posts are
divided among coalition partners through behind-the-scenes
bargaining and in proportion to the parliamentary strength of the
parties involved, usually at the ratio of one cabinet portfolio for
every three or four Knesset seats. This formula may be dispensed
with, however, in times of national emergency or electoral and
political stalemate. The first precedent in this direction occurred
after the June 1967 War when a "national unity government" was
formed by co-opting three opposition party leaders as cabinet
ministers. This move, which was achieved without the standard
cabinet formation procedure, was designed to demonstrate internal
solidarity in the face of an external threat.
The members of coalition governments are obligated to fulfill
their commitments to the coalition at the time of seeking a vote of
confidence from the Knesset. A cabinet member may be dismissed for
failing to support the government on any matter that is included in
the original coalition pact except where the minister's dissenting
vote in the Knesset for reasons of "conscience" is specifically
approved in advance by the minister's party. This obligation also
applies in the formation and maintenance of a national unity
government, with the exception of times of emergency when
opposition elements co-opted into the cabinet may disagree with the
mainstream of the coalition on any matters other than those they
have pledged to support. At a minimum, coalition members must vote
with the government on issues of national defense, foreign policy,
the budget, and motions of censure. Failure to do so constitutes
grounds for their expulsion; ministers may simply withdraw from the
government in protest if they cannot reconcile themselves to the
mainstream.
As a rule, the cabinet meets at least once a week on Sunday
morning or whenever extraordinary reasons warrant. Cabinet
deliberations are confidential; this is especially true when the
body meets as a session of the ministerial Committee for Security
Affairs.
The cabinet conducts much of its work through four standing
committees dealing with economic affairs, legislation, foreign
affairs and security, and home affairs and services. The committees
meet once a week and may set up special ad hoc committees of
inquiry to scrutinize issues affecting coalition unity or other
urgent questions. A cabinet member may be assigned to one or more
committees. Committee decisions are final unless challenged in
plenary cabinet sessions.
As compensation for serving in the cabinet, Knesset members'
salaries and accompanying benefits are supplemented by the
government. Ministers are given a car and a driver and offices in
Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The government provides them with an
official residence in Jerusalem and covers personal expenses such
as travel, hotels, and food on official business. They also receive
comprehensive medical insurance and other allowances.
Until November 1988, the unity cabinet included, in addition to
Prime Minister Shamir, nineteen ministers with portfolio, including
the vice-prime minister and two deputy prime ministers. The
jurisdictions of their portfolios were agriculture, communications,
defense, economics and planning, education and culture, energy and
infrastructure, finance, foreign affairs, health, housing and
construction, immigration and absorption, industry and trade,
interior, justice and tourism (both ministries were headed by one
minister), labor and social affairs, police, religious affairs,
science and development, and transportation. In addition, there
were six ministers without portfolio. Upon approval of the second
unity government by the Knesset in December 1988, the new cabinet
consisted of twenty-eight ministers, the largest in the country's
history. Its size was expanded to accommodate political demands by
the coalition partners.
Interministerial coordination is the responsibility of the four
standing cabinet committees and the Office of the Prime Minister,
especially the Government Secretariat, which is located in that
office. Headed by the secretary to the government (the position is
also known as government secretary or cabinet secretary), the
secretariat prepares the agenda for meetings of the cabinet and
cabinet committees, maintains their records, coordinates the work
of ministries, and informs the public of government decisions and
policies.
Also in the Office of the Prime Minister are the Prime
Minister's Bureau, which deals with confidential matters concerning
the chief executive, and a staff of advisers on political and legal
issues, national security, terrorism and counterterrorism, the
media, petitions and complaints, Arab affairs, and welfare affairs.
The most influential advisory personnel carry the title of
"director general and political adviser" to the prime minister.
Other constituent units of the office include the State Archives
and Library, Government Names Committee, Government Press Office,
National Council for Research and Development, Technological and
Scientific Information Center, Atomic Energy Commission, Institute
for Biological Research, National Parks Authority, and Central
Bureau of Statistics.
Data as of December 1988
|
|