Cabinet of Israel

The Cabinet of Israel (Hebrew: ממשלת ישראל, romanized: Memshelet Yisra'el; Arabic: مجلس وزراء إسرائيل, romanized: Majlis Wuzaraʾ Israʾil) is the group that runs the State of Israel. It makes important decisions for the country. The Cabinet is made up of ministers chosen and led by the prime minister.

Before the Cabinet can start working, it needs approval from the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. The prime minister can remove ministers, but must do this in writing. Any new minister also needs approval from the Knesset. Most ministers are in charge of special areas of government work called ministries. Some are just called ministers without a specific area to lead.

The Cabinet meets every Sunday in Jerusalem to discuss important issues. Sometimes it meets more often if needed. The person leading the Cabinet is the prime minister, and right now that person is Benjamin Netanyahu. The Cabinet is the main group that has the power to govern Israel, according to the country’s Basic Laws.

Use of terms

In Israel, the group that runs the country is called the Government of Israel. This name comes from the Hebrew word for government, Memshala.

Sometimes people use the word cabinet to talk about a smaller group called the State-Security Cabinet. This group makes big decisions about safety and foreign countries. It includes up to half of all the leaders in the government. There is also a term called the Kitchen Cabinet, which refers to important people who advise the State-Security Cabinet.

Provisional and first governments of Israel

Main article: Provisional government of Israel

The first group to lead Israel was called the provisional government of Israel. It began working just before Israel became independent and continued until the first official government was formed in March 1949. This happened after the first Knesset elections in January 1949. The provisional government was created on 12 April 1948, preparing for independence. All its thirteen leaders came from a temporary group called Moetzet HaAm.

Current government

The thirty-seventh government of Israel is the one that is running the country now. It started on 29 December 2022. The prime minister leads this government, and ministers help to take care of different parts of the country.

List of cabinets