Knesset Members have the right of parliamentary immunity, which is intended to enable them to perform their tasks without fear of legal actions. The essential immunity ensures that a Knesset Member will not bear criminal or civil responsibility for any act which he performed while fulfilling his duty or in order to fulfill his duty. In addition, a Knesset Member has immunities relating to searches, detention, criminal hearings and legal proceedings which are not connected with his work as a Member of Knesset, and only the Knesset itself has the right to lift his immunity in these spheres. In Israel, the parliamentary immunity is extremely broad, and on occasion there have been proposals to limit it. The law defines additional rights of Knesset Members which are technical by nature, such as the right of free movement within the territory of the state without limitations, or the right to a certain amount of free telephone and postal services. A Knesset member also has the right to break away from his Parliamentary Group, but since 1990 there are many limitations to his ability to form a new Group.

The duties of a Knesset Member relate to ethical issues, additional employment or occupation and rules of conduct.

Inter alia:

• A Knesset Member will uphold the dignity of the Knesset and its Members, will act in a manner befitting his status and duties as a Knesset Member and will avoid making improper use of his immunities as a Knesset Member;
• A Knesset Member will devote all the required time to the fulfillment of his duties, and while doing so will give priority to the fulfillment of his duties over any other occupation;
• A Knesset Member will not receive, either directly or indirectly, any material benefit for an act he has performed, in the Knesset or outside it, in his capacity as or status of Knesset Member;
• A Knesset Member will avoid conflicts of interests between his function as a Knesset Member and his personal affairs;
• (As of October 1, 1996) a Knesset Member will not engage in any business or additional occupation, except for unpaid voluntary work;
• A Knesset Member will not engage in any business or additional work, even without pay, if this work involves: violation of the Knesset's dignity, his status or duties as a Knesset Member; the possible misuse or attainment of a personal advantage or preferences from his being a Knesset Member; a possible conflict of interests between this additional work and his duty as a Knesset Member;
• A Knesset Member will not serve as an elected representative in a public body, even without remuneration.

In additional to these duties, the Knesset Member is subject to general rules of conduct which include the duty to abide by the instructions of the Speaker during sittings of the Knesset plenum. It is the Knesset Ethics Committee (see Special Knesset Committees), which is in charge of dealing with transgressions in the conduct of Knesset Members.