| Hoofdstad | name: Jerusalem; note - the US recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December 2017 without taking a position on the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty geographic coordinates: 31 46 N, 35 14 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, Friday before the last Sunday in March; ends the last Sunday in October etymology: Jerusalem's settlement may date back to 2800 B.C.; it is named Urushalim in Egyptian texts of the 14th century B.C.; "uru-shalim" likely means "foundation of [by] the god Shalim", and derives from Hebrew/Semitic "yry", "to found or lay a cornerstone", and Shalim, the Canaanite god of dusk and the nether world; Shalim was associated with sunset and peace and the name is based on the same S-L-M root from which Semitic words for "peace" are derived (Salam or Shalom in modern Arabic and Hebrew); this confluence has thus led to naming interpretations such as "The City of Peace" or "The Abode of Peace" |
| Onafhankelijkheid dag | 14 Mei 1948 (following League of Nations mandate under British administration) |
| Nationale feestdag | Independence Day, 14 Mei (1948); note - Israel declared independence on 14 Mei 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or Mei |
| Grondwet | history: no formal constitution; some functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws, and the Law of Return (as amended) amendments: proposed by Government of Israel ministers or by the Knesset; passage requires a majority vote of Knesset members and subject to Supreme Court judicial review; 11 of the 13 Basic Laws have been amended at least once, latest in 2018 (2018) |
| Stemmen | 18 jaar; universal; 17 jaar for municipal elections |
| uitvoerende macht | chief of state: President Reuben RIVLIN (since 27 July 2014) head of government: Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU (since 31 March 2009); note - on 23 October 2019, following the inconclusive 25 September Knesset election, President RIVLIN tasked Benny GANTZ with forming a new government after Prime Minister NETANYAHU was unable to do so cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the Knesset elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by the Knesset for a 7-year term (limited to 1 term); election last held on 10 June 2014 (next to be held on 9 April 2019); following legislative elections, the president, in consultation with party leaders, tasks a Knesset member (usually the member of the largest party) with forming a government election results: Reuven RIVLIN elected president in second round; Knesset vote - Reuven RIVLIN (Likud) 63, Meir SHEETRIT (The Movement) 53, other/invalid 4 |
Referenties: CIA World Factbook - Tenzij anders vermeld, voor informatie op deze pagina correct is met ingang van 31 december 2019
