ssy in Tel Aviv

Administrative divisions: 6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz);
Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv

Independence: 14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under
British administration)

National holiday: Independence Day, 14 May (1948); note - Israel
declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is
lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May

Constitution: no formal constitution; some of the functions of a
constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948),
the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli
citizenship law

Legal system: mixture of English common law, British Mandate
regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim
legal systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat
that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Moshe KATSAV (since 31
July 2000)

head of government: Prime Minister Ariel SHARON (since 2 March 2001)

cabinet: Cabinet selected by prime minister and approved by the
Knesset

elections: president elected by the Knesset for a five-year term;
election last held 31 July 2000 (next to be held NA July 2005);
prime minister elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 6 February 2001 (next to be held NA 2005); note -
in March 1992, the Knesset approved legislation, effective in 1996,
which allowed for the direct election of the prime minister, but in
2001 the Knesset voted to restore the previous method under which
the legislators will choose the next prime minister after the next
legislative elections in 2003

election results: Moshe KATSAV elected president by the 120-member
Knesset with a total of 60 votes, other candidate, Shimon PERES,
received 57 votes (there were three abstentions); Ariel SHARON
elected prime minister; percent of vote - Ariel SHARON 62.5%, Ehud
BARAK 37.4%; note - after the next legislative elections scheduled
for 2003, the prime minister will be elected by the Knesset

Legislative branch: unicameral Knesset or parliament (120 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA November 2003)

election results: percent of vote by party - One Israel 20.2%,
Likud Party 14.1%, Shas 13%, MERETZ 7.6%, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya 5.1%,
Shinui 5%, Center Party 5%,