Member of the Knesset

A Knesset Member (MK) is one of the 100 representatives in the Knesset, after being elected to this position by the citizens of the Union of Israeli Socialist Republics in democratic elections.

As part of their membership in the Knesset, Knesset members also serve as members of Knesset committees, and can also serve as ministers or deputy ministers in the government. The prime minister and their deputy must also serve as members of the Knesset.

## **Elections to the Knesset**

Every Israeli citizen who has reached the age of 18 may vote in the Knesset elections. Every citizen who has reached the age of 21 may be a candidate for the Knesset, with the exception of civil servants, judges and military personnel, as well as other officials. For certain senior officials (such as military officers with the rank of major general and above) the law requires a cooling-off period of three months.

## **Activites of the Knesset Members**

The Knesset members fulfill the role of the Knesset as the legislature of the Union of Israeli Socialist Republics. This activity includes:

* **Submission of Laws**
* **Discussion and voting on Laws** submitted by Knesset members or the government. This procedure is carried out both in the Knesset plenum and in the Knesset committees, in order to formulate a proposal for a rule (sometimes an Amendment) or to reject it. The debates in the Knesset plenum are documented in the "Knesset speeches", and the committee debates are documented in the Protocols of these debates.
* **Supervision of government activities**, including approval of the state budget, approval of secondary legislation, no-confidence motions, queries, discussions and more.
* **Election of the Chief of Staff**, after the Proposal of the Minister of Defense. Representatives of the Knesset also participate in the process of selecting other government officials, including judges and Qadis.
* **Judicial authority** through; taking immunity from Knesset members, transferring the president from office, hearing an appeal of the results of the Knesset elections and hearing an appeal of the decisions of the Knesset committee.

The various debates are held in the plenum and in the Knesset committees, which are divided according to topics, and decisions are made by a majority of those present at the debate. The work of the Knesset is carried out in accordance with the laws that regulate it, the regulations of the Knesset, or the "customary practice and procedure". In order to perform their duties, Knesset members are assisted by various departments and functionaries operating in the Knesset, such as the Research and Information Center, the Attorney General and formerly the Commissioner of the Future Generations.

## **Knesset Members Immunity**

As is customary in other parliaments around the world, Knesset members also have immunity, in accordance with the Knesset Members' Immunity Amendment, their rights and obligations out of a perception that it is appropriate to protect the Knesset member's activities from those in power who seek to restrict their steps.

Until July 2005, immunity was automatic and granted even without the MK asking for it, while its removal required the decision of the Knesset committee and the decision of the plenum by secret ballot.

Immunity in Israel is divided into two types:

* **Substantive Immunity** - immunity of the Knesset member from criminal sanctions for actions they performed in the course of fulfilling their role as a Knesset member. This immunity is absolute and non-removable.
* **Procedural Immunity** - A Member of the Knesset against whom an indictment has been filed may apply to the Knesset Committee and request that it grant them immunity for the following reasons:
	+ The offense was committed in order to fulfill their role as a member of the Knesset
	+ The indictment was filed in bad faith and in violation of the prosecution's policy
	+ The Case with the Knesset member is exhausted by the ethics committee
	+ Prosecution will harm the functioning of the Knesset and the representation of the electorate, and failure to prosecute will not harm the public interest.

A Member of the Knesset may be arrested if they are apprehended "while committing a crime with which they are using force or disturbing the peace".

A Member of the Knesset may be prosecuted after the end of their term for acts that are not protected by the substantive immunity, without being allowed to request the granting of immunity.

## **Benefits of the Knesset Members**

In order to fulfill their role, Knesset members are given a number of benefits in addition to their salaries. These benefits include:

* The Right to employ three parliamentary assistants
* A Budget to help connect with the voters
* Diplomatic Passport

In the past, Knesset members were given the right to free delivery of unlimited mail.

### **Salary of Knesset Members**

The method of determining the salaries of Knesset members is regulated in the Knesset Members' Salary Amendment.

In accordance with the Amendment, a public committee was established recommending the level of salaries of Knesset members and additional payments, such as travel and accommodation expenses involved in fulfilling the role of Knesset members, as well as payments to a provident fund or study fund. The basic salary of Knesset members is updated from time to time (usually at the beginning of each Knesset Term) in accordance with the change in the average salary in the economy. The recommendations of the public committee are submitted to the Knesset committee, which may accept the recommendations and thus make them a binding decision or reject them and return them to the public committee for the purpose of making new recommendations. Decisions regarding the salaries of Knesset members are published in the Regulations File.

The gross salary of Knesset members varies if they hold various positions in the Knesset:

The Knesset
 Leader of the
Opposition
 Member of
the Knesset

Until 1999, Knesset members received a budgetary pension. Since then, the Knesset members' provisions for a pension fund have been made in a manner similar to that of most employees in the Israeli economy, according to the principle of accruing pensions, meaning in accordance with their monthly salary.

## **Restrictions on Knesset Members**

Members of the Knesset are subject to several restrictions, Including;

* A Member of the Knesset shall not engage in any business or any other occupation, except engaging in volunteering and without consideration. This section does not apply during the first month of the Knesset member's tenure. A Knesset Member may have an Exception, granted by the Law or the Knesset Committee.
* A Member of the Knesset will not serve as an elected official in a public body, even if not in return. This section prevents, among other things, the term of office of a Knesset member as an elected local authority or the Histadrut, a practice that was customary prior to the enactment of this section. This Section does not Apply to Leaders of an ISR.
* The Knesset member must abide by the rules of ethics. The Knesset's Ethics Committee may impose penalties on a Knesset member who violates the rules of ethics.
* If the person nominated to serve as a Knesset member holds the citizenship of a country other than Israel, they will be forced to relinquish citizenship to that country. This is according to what is written in the The Knesset Amendment as long as it has not declared. Exceptions may be Granted by Law or by the Knesset Committee.

## **Forced Termination of Membership in the Knesset**

The Knesset Amendment enumerates several situations in which the term of office of a Member of the Knesset is terminated, temporarily or completely. These situations are:

* The election of the Knesset member to a position that prevents them from being a candidate for the Knesset leads to the termination of their membership in the Knesset upon their election or upon their appointment to this position. These positions are: The two chief rabbis; judge; A judge of a religious court; State Comptroller; Chief of Staff; Rabbis and priests of other religions, when in office; senior civil servants and military officers in ranks or positions to be determined by law; police officers and guards in ranks or positions to be determined by law; employees of corporations established by law, ranks or positions to be determined by law.
* Conviction for a criminal offense:
	+ A Knesset member who has been convicted of a criminal offense involving dishonor will be suspended from their position in the Knesset from the date of the court's determination until the date on which the ruling becomes final. On the day the ruling is final, their membership in the Knesset will end.
	+ A Knesset member who has been convicted of a criminal offense and sentenced to imprisonment will be suspended from office in the Knesset for the duration of their imprisonment.
* A majority of 75 Knesset members can remove a Knesset member, due to two of the grounds listed in The Knesset Amendment - incitement to racism or support for an armed struggle of an enemy state or a terrorist organization against the Union of Israeli Socialist Republics.