med
cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the
Knesset
elections: president is largely a ceremonial role and is elected by
the Knesset for a seven-year term (one-term limit); election last
held 13 June 2007 (next to be held in 2014 but can be called
earlier); following legislative elections, the president assigns a
Knesset member - traditionally the leader of the largest party - the
task of forming a governing coalition
note: government coalition - Kadima, Labor Party, GIL (Pensioners),
and SHAS
election results: Shimon PERES elected president; number of votes in
first round - Shimon PERES 58, Reuven RIVLIN 37, Colette AVITAL 21;
PERES elected president in second round with 86 votes (unopposed)

Legislative branch:

unicameral Knesset (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to
serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 28 March 2006 (next scheduled to be held in
February 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - Kadima 22%, Labor
15.1%, SHAS 9.5%, Likud 9%, Yisrael Beiteinu 9%, NU/NRP 7.1%, GIL
5.9%, Torah and Shabbat Judaism 4.7%, Meretz-YAHAD 3.8%, United Arab
List 3%, Balad 2.3%, HADASH 2.7%, other 5.9%; seats by party -
Kadima 29, Labor 19, Likud 12, SHAS 12, Yisrael Beiteinu 11, NU/NRP
9, GIL 7, Torah and Shabbat Judaism 6, Meretz-YAHAD 5, United Arab
List 4, Balad 3, HADASH 3

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (justices appointed by Judicial Selection Committee -
made up of all three branches of the government; mandatory
retirement age is 70)

Political parties and leaders:

Balad [Azmi BISHARA]; Democratic Front for Peace and Equality
(HADASH) [Muhammad BARAKEH]; GIL (Pensioners) [Rafael "Rafi" EITAN];
Kadima [Tzipora "Tzipi" LIVNI]; Labor Party [Ehud BARAK]; Likud
[Binyamin NETANYAHU]; Meretz-Yachad [Haim ORON]; National Democratic
Assembly (Balad) [Jamal ZAHALKA]; National Union (NU)/National
Religious Party (NRP) [Binyamin ELON]; SHAS [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Torah
and Shabbat Judaism or UTJ [Yaakov LITZMAN]; United Arab List
[Ibrahim SARSUR]; Yisrael Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

B'Tselem [Jessica MONTELL, Executive Director] monitors human rights
abuses; Peace Now [Yariv OPPENHEIMER, Secretary General] supports
territorial concessions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip; YESHA
Council of Settlements [Danny DAYAN, Chairman] promotes settler
interests and opposes territorial compromise

International organization participa