Israel
Country in southwest Asia, bounded north by Lebanon, east by Syria
and Jordan, south by the Gulf of Aqaba, and west by Egypt and
the Mediterranean Sea.
Government
Israel has no written constitution. In 1950 the single-chamber legislature,
the Knesset, voted to adopt a state constitution by evolution
over an unspecified period of time. As in the UK, certain laws
are considered to have particular constitutional significance
and could, at some time, be codified into a single written document.
Supreme authority rests with the Knesset, whose 120 members
are elected by universal suffrage, through a system of proportional
representation, for a four-year term. It is subject to dissolution
within that period. The president is constitutional head of state
and is elected by the Knesset for a five-year term, renewable
only once. The prime minister and cabinet are mostly drawn from,
and collectively responsible to, the Knesset, but occasionally
a cabinet member may be chosen from outside.
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