985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no
longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Ezer WEIZMAN (since 13 May 1993) election last held 24 March
1993 (next to be held NA March 1999); results - Ezer WEIZMAN elected
by Knesset
head of government:
Prime Minister Yitzhak RABIN (since NA July 1992)
cabinet:
Cabinet; selected from and approved by the Knesset
Legislative branch:
unicameral
parliament (Knesset):
elections last held NA June 1992 (next to be held by NA 1996); results
- percent of vote by party NA; seats - (120 total) Labor Party 44,
Likud bloc 32, Meretz 12, Tzomet 8, National Religious Party 6, Shas
6, United Torah Jewry 4, Democratic Front for Peace and Equality
(Hadash) 3, Moledet 3, Arab Democratic Party 2; note - in 1994 three
new parties were formed, Yi'ud (from Tzomet), Histadrut List (from the
Labor Party), and Peace Guard (from Moledet), resulting in the
following new distribution of seats - Labor Party 41, Likud bloc 32,
Meretz 12, National Religious Party 6, Shas 6, Tzomet 5, United Torah
Jewry 4, Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) 3, Yi'ud 3,
Histadrut List 3, Moledet 2, Arab Democratic Party 2, Peace Guard 1
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
members of the government:
Labor Party, Prime Minister Yitzhak RABIN; MERETZ, Minister of
Communications Shulamit ALONI
not in coalition, but voting with the government:
SHAS, Arieh DERI; Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash),
Hashim MAHAMID; Arab Democratic Party, Abd al Wahab DARAWSHAH;
Histadrut List, Haim RAMON
opposition parties:
Likud Party, Binyamin NETANYAHU; Tzomet, Rafael EITAN; National
Religious Party, Zevulun HAMMER; United Torah Jewry, Avraham SHAPIRA;
Moledet, Rehavam ZEEVI; Yi'ud, Gonen SEGEV; Peace Guard, Shoul GUTMAN
note:
Israel currently has a coalition government comprising 3 parties that
hold 56 seats of the Knesset's 120 seats
Other political or pressure groups:
Gush Emunim, Jewish nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the
West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now, critical of government's West
Bank/Gaza Strip and Lebanon policies
Member of:
AG (observer), CCC, CE (observer), CERN (oberver), EBRD, ECE, FAO,
GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,