It should not be surprising that Israel has not solved all of its social problems in only 49 years. In fact, each religious community has legal authority over its members in matters of marriage and divorce. They also control their own holy places in Jerusalem and elsewhere in the country. In 1996, voters elected the Prime Minister by direct ballot for the first time. Relatively small parties, including those whose primary support is among Israeli Arabs, regularly win seats in the Knesset.
Elections are by secret ballot.
The law provides for an independent judiciary, and the Government respects this provision in practice. The judiciary provides citizens with a fair and efficient judicial process. Israel inherited and continued certain laws adopted by the British. One is the use of administrative detention, which is permitted under certain circumstances in security cases. Israel's policy is that administrative detention is only to be used against violent offenders.