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Israel
The Cabinet
The separation of powers between the executive and legislative
branches in the Israeli political system generally follows the
British pattern. The cabinet is the top executive policy-making
body and the center of political power in the nation. It consists
of the prime minister and an unspecified number of ministers.
The head of government must be a Knesset member, but this is not
a requirement for ministers. In practice, most ministers have
been Knesset members; when non-Knesset members are considered
for cabinet posts, their selection is subject to Knesset approval.
A deputy prime minister and deputy ministers may be appointed
from among the membership of the Knesset, usually as a result
of coalition bargaining, but in this instance only the deputy
prime minister is considered a regular cabinet member. As stated
above, in September 1984, the National Unity Government established
the position of vice prime minister, or vice premier. The vice
prime minister, who was the leader of one of the two major parties
in the unity coalition, was considered the second leading cabinet
minister.
The cabinet takes office upon confirmation by the Knesset, to
which it is collectively responsible for all its acts. To obtain
this consent, the prime minister-designate must submit a list
of cabinet members along with a detailed statement of basic principles
and policies of his or her government. The cabinet can be dissolved
if it resigns en masse, if the Knesset passes a motion of censure
against it, or if the prime minister resigns or dies. The prime
minister's resignation invalidates the cabinet, but resignations
of individual ministers do not have this effect. Since independence
all cabinets have been coalitions of parties, each coalition having
been formed to achieve the required total of sixty-one or more
Knesset seats. Although often based on political expediency, coalition
formation is also concerned with ideological and issue compatibility
among the participating groups. Cabinet posts are divided among
coalition partners through behind-the-scenes bargaining and in
proportion to the parliamentary strength of the parties involved,
usually at the ratio of one cabinet portfolio for every three
or four Knesset seats. This formula may be dispensed with, however,
in times of national emergency or electoral and political stalemate.
The first precedent in this direction occurred after the June
1967 War when a "national unity government" was formed by co-opting
three opposition party leaders as cabinet ministers. This move,
which was achieved without the standard cabinet formation procedure,
was designed to demonstrate internal solidarity in the face of
an external threat.
The members of coalition governments are obligated to fulfill
their commitments to the coalition at the time of seeking a vote
of confidence from the Knesset. A cabinet member may be dismissed
for failing to support the government on any matter that is included
in the original coalition pact except where the minister's dissenting
vote in the Knesset for reasons of "conscience" is specifically
approved in advance by the minister's party. This obligation also
applies in the formation and maintenance of a national unity government,
with the exception of times of emergency when opposition elements
co-opted into the cabinet may disagree with the mainstream of
the coalition on any matters other than those they have pledged
to support. At a minimum, coalition members must vote with the
government on issues of national defense, foreign policy, the
budget, and motions of censure. Failure to do so constitutes grounds
for their expulsion; ministers may simply withdraw from the government
in protest if they cannot reconcile themselves to the mainstream.
As a rule, the cabinet meets at least once a week on Sunday morning
or whenever extraordinary reasons warrant. Cabinet deliberations
are confidential; this is especially true when the body meets
as a session of the ministerial Committee for Security Affairs.
The cabinet conducts much of its work through four standing committees
dealing with economic affairs, legislation, foreign affairs and
security, and home affairs and services. The committees meet once
a week and may set up special ad hoc committees of inquiry to
scrutinize issues affecting coalition unity or other urgent questions.
A cabinet member may be assigned to one or more committees. Committee
decisions are final unless challenged in plenary cabinet sessions.
As compensation for serving in the cabinet, Knesset members'
salaries and accompanying benefits are supplemented by the government.
Ministers are given a car and a driver and offices in Tel Aviv
and Jerusalem. The government provides them with an official residence
in Jerusalem and covers personal expenses such as travel, hotels,
and food on official business. They also receive comprehensive
medical insurance and other allowances.
Until November 1988, the unity cabinet included, in addition
to Prime Minister Shamir, nineteen ministers with portfolio, including
the vice-prime minister and two deputy prime ministers. The jurisdictions
of their portfolios were agriculture, communications, defense,
economics and planning, education and culture, energy and infrastructure,
finance, foreign affairs, health, housing and construction, immigration
and absorption, industry and trade, interior, justice and tourism
(both ministries were headed by one minister), labor and social
affairs, police, religious affairs, science and development, and
transportation. In addition, there were six ministers without
portfolio. Upon approval of the second unity government by the
Knesset in December 1988, the new cabinet consisted of twenty-eight
ministers, the largest in the country's history. Its size was
expanded to accommodate political demands by the coalition partners.
Interministerial coordination is the responsibility of the four
standing cabinet committees and the Office of the Prime Minister,
especially the Government Secretariat, which is located in that
office. Headed by the secretary to the government (the position
is also known as government secretary or cabinet secretary), the
secretariat prepares the agenda for meetings of the cabinet and
cabinet committees, maintains their records, coordinates the work
of ministries, and informs the public of government decisions
and policies.
Also in the Office of the Prime Minister are the Prime Minister's
Bureau, which deals with confidential matters concerning the chief
executive, and a staff of advisers on political and legal issues,
national security, terrorism and counterterrorism, the media,
petitions and complaints, Arab affairs, and welfare affairs. The
most influential advisory personnel carry the title of "director
general and political adviser" to the prime minister. Other constituent
units of the office include the State Archives and Library, Government
Names Committee, Government Press Office, National Council for
Research and Development, Technological and Scientific Information
Center, Atomic Energy Commission, Institute for Biological Research,
National Parks Authority, and Central Bureau of Statistics.
Data as of December 1988
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