Members of the fourth Assembly of Representatives, 12.9.1944.
The War of Independence: Raising the Israeli flag at Faluja, 28.2.1948.
The Knesset History - Introduction
The Knesset is the house of representatives of the State of Israel.
It is uni-cameral and has 120 Members representing numerous lists that
are elected in general, country-wide, proportional elections once
every four years (see electoral system).
The Proclamation of Independence: David Ben Gurion delivering the proclamation, 14.5.1948.
The name "Knesset" derives from the "Great Knesset" ("Great Assembly") which convened in Jerusalem
after the return of the Jews to Eretz Yisrael from the Babylonian exile
in the fifth century B.C.E. The number of Knesset Members was also
determined on the basis of the number of members of the Great Knesset.
The traditions of the Knesset and the way it functions were influenced
by the Zionist Congress, which first
convened in Basel in 1897, by the experience of the
Assembly of Representatives
(Assefat Hanivharim) of the Jewish community in mandatory
Palestine and, to a certain extent, by the procedures and customs of the
British Parliament - the "mother of parliaments."
On 18 April 1948, towards the proclamation of
the state, the People's Council (Moetzet Ha'am) was
established. This was turned on May 14 into the Provisional State Council,
which functioned as the legislature of the new state until the elections
for the Constituent Assembly (Ha'assefa
Hamechonent).
Until the end of 1949 the meetings of the Provisional
State Council (Moetzet Hamedina Hazmanit) were held at
the Tel Aviv Museum, the "Kessem" cinema, and the "San-Remo" hotel. On
26 December 1949, the Knesset moved to its temporary residence in
"Beit Frumin" on King George Street in
Jerusalem, and on 31 August, 1966 - to its permanent
residence at Kiryat Ben Gurion.
