In fact, Israel's style of government probably allows for the most diversity in voices of any government in the world. While this is democracy at its best, it can also be a burden when the resolution of inter-party conflict distracts from matters of state, which often happens. In this installment, we highlight how the government works. Israel is a parliamentary democracy consisting of legislative, executive and judicial branches. The president is the head of state, with the presidency symbolizing the nation's unity, above and beyond party politics.
Law defines presidential duties, which are mostly ceremonial and formal.
In addition, the president performs public functions and informal tasks such as hearing citizens' appeals, lending prestige to community organizations and strengthening campaigns to improve the quality of life in the society at large. In most countries with a parliamentary system, these duties are also the function of their president or monarch. In the US, the president has more power in that he assumes these roles in addition to the executive branch functions found in Israel as the domain of the prime minister. A new Knesset begins to function after general elections, which determines its composition. In the first session, Knesset members declare their allegiance, and the Knesset speaker and deputy speakers are elected.