The Plenum

The Knesset at Work

The Plenum:
Introduction
Legislation
Motions for the Agenda
Parliamentary Questions
No-Confidence
Debates
Resolutions
Ceremonial Events
Foreign Visitors

View of the plenum hall from the public gallery

View of the Speaker's dais from the seat of an MK

A vote by hands during the Twelfth Knesset, 21.9.1992

The plenum hall during the Sixth Knesset, 6.5.1968.

The Plenum Hall - Description

View of the plenum hall from the Speaker's chair

The hall in which the the meetings of the Knesset plenum take place is divided into two parts: The lower part is where the members of Knesset and members of the Government sit, and the upper part consists of the visitors' galleries.

In the plenum hall, the members of Knesset sit according to the parliamentary groups (factions) to which they belong. The seating arrangements are determined by the Arrangements Committee before the first sitting of every new Knesset following elections. The custom is that the committee enables the largest parliamentary group to choose its place in the hall. The largest group in the coalition usually sits to the left of the Speaker, and the second largest group to his/her right. The seat assigned to a Knesset member becomes his/her permanent seat for the duration of that Knesset, and his/her name is electronically labeled on the seat.

The Knesset Speaker sits in the center of the dais while directing a plenum sitting. To the left of the Speaker sits the Secretary General of the Knesset and the Sergeant-at-Arms. To the right of the Speaker is the podium for the person addressing the plenum.

There are 116 seats for the Knesset members, and they are arranged in the shape of a "menorah" (7-branched candelabra). The center table, which is shaped like a horseshoe, is reserved for the members of the Government. At the center of the head of the table sits the Prime Minister. On the sides of the plenum hall are six cubicles for parliamentary aids, committee and faction secretaries, advisors, and upper-level Knesset staff.

By each Knesset member's seat, there is a copy of the Knesset Rules of Procedure. In addition, there is a computer terminal which displays the daily agenda and any background material relevant for that day's sitting. That same terminal is used for electronic voting in the plenum: When a vote is called, the MK can select the "For," "Against," or "Abstain" buttons on the touch screen. Immediately following a vote, the results are displayed on two large screens hanging from the ceiling of the Plenum hall.

View of the plenum hall from the President's seat

The upper balcony in the plenum hall is divided into two parts by bullet-proof glass. The lower portion, which is open within the hall, is reserved for VIPs and invited guests. This section includes the special area at the left corner marked off for the president and his/her entourage, and the special area at the right side for the press. The upper area behind the glass is the public gallery - open to anyone from the public who wishes to listen to and watch the proceedings in the Knesset plenum.

The Knesset plenum meets regularly on Mondays (4:00 PM), Tuesdays (4:00 PM), and Wednesdays (11:00 AM) except during the recesses (summer and Passover).

Israeli artist, Danny Caravan (born 1930) designed the wall at the front of the hall. The wall is made of Galil stone, and the designs engraved there represent various aspects of Jerusalem.

On the left side of the front wall hangs an engraved portrait of Theodore Herzl (visionary of the Jewish state) on a zinc background. In the center, behind the Knesset speaker stands the Israeli flag.