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Israel Government 1996
Israel proclaimed Jerusalem its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all
other countries, does not recognize this status, and maintains its Embassy
in Tel Aviv
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Administrative divisions:
6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem,
Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv
14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
Independence Day, 14 May 1948 (Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948,
but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May)
no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled
by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the basic laws of the parliament
(Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law
mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in personal
matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in December 1985,
Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
18 years of age; universal
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
Prime Minister Yitzhak RABIN (since NA July 1992)
Cabinet; selected from and approved by the 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 44, Likud 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 four legislators broke party ranks,
resulting in the following new distribution of seats - Labor Party 44, 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, Moledet
2, Arab Democratic Party 2, independents 4 (1 in coalition, 3 voting with
opposition)
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Political parties and leaders:
members of the government:
Labor Party, Prime Minister Yitzhak RABIN; MERETZ, Minister of
Communications Shulamit ALONI; independent, Gonen SEGEV
not in coalition, but voting with the government:
Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash), Hashim MAHAMID; Arab
Democratic Party, Abd al Wahab DARAWSHAH
Likud Party, Binyamin NETANYAHU; Tzomet, Rafael EITAN; National Religious
Party, Zevulun HAMMER; United Torah Jewry, Avraham SHAPIRA; Moledet, Rehavam
ZEEVI; Peace Guard (independent), Shaul GUTMAN; SHAS, Arieh DERI
Israel currently has a coalition government comprising 2 parties and an
independent that hold 57 seats of the Knesset's 120 seats
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Other political or pressure groups:
Gush Emunim, Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West
Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West
Bank and is critical of government's Lebanon policy
AG (observer), CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, FAO, GATT,
IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation in US:
Ambassador Itamar RABINOVICH
3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York,
Philadelphia, and San Francisco
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US diplomatic representation:
71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv
PSC 98, Box 100, Tel Aviv; APO AE 09830
white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen
David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands
near the top and bottom edges of the flag
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