Knesset in Jerusalem

Knesset in Jerusalem

From the Jerusalem travel guide you'll come to know that while going north on Hayim Hazaz Boulevard and turning sharp left into Ruppin Road, there is the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset (1966) and is the most impressive building in the Hakirya district, the government quarter. Near the entrance is a 16 feet high bronze Menorah, seven-branched candlestick by Benno Elkan, a gift from the British Parliament. It is decorated with 29 relies of figures and events in Jewish history.

The interior of the Knesset in Jerusalem is decorated with mosaics and tapestries, done by Marc Chagall. When Parliament does not meet, the building is used foe sight seeing. People coming to Jerusalem, love to visit this marvelous building. The Knesset in Jerusalem is the legislature of Israel. The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset enacts laws, elects the prime minister, supervises the work of the government, and reserves the power to remove the President of the State and the State Comptroller from office and to dissolve itself and call new elections.

The Knesset in Jerusalem was first convened on February 14, 1949. Every four years, 120 members of the Knesset are elected by Israeli citizens who must be 18 years old to vote. The Government of Israel must be approved by a majority vote of the Knesset. The Knesset has de jure parliamentary supremacy and can pass any laws by a simple majority, even those that conflict with the Basic Laws of Israel, as it is also a Constituent Assembly. Nonetheless, the Knesset's right to function effectively has been greatly curtailed due to the inherent flaws of the low threshold party's proportional representation that usually results in a fractious government dependent on unstable coalitions. Hence, de facto, the Supreme Court of Israel has greatly expanded its authority through judicial review to nearly every aspect of Knesset legislation at the expense of the Knesset's authority.

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