Elections for the 19th Knesset

The Knesset page for the elections for the 19th Knesset has some informative material in English, and this Hebrew warning from the Gripe Police:

 

(Translation: If you want to continue to gripe, fulfill your civic duty and go vote on Election Day. Remember, if you don't vote, your griping rights will be voided for the next four years. On Election Day, vote and then afterwards feel free to complain.)

There is scheduled to be a rally in Jerusalem's Kikar Shabbos tonight organized by the Eida Chareidis urging people not to vote. The Satmar Rebbe from Williamsburg is scheduled to attend.

The Degel Hatorah party distributed flyers this morning countering those who say religious Jews should not vote in the elections. Their main argument was that not voting is not a neutral statement. It saps the strength of the religious sector and give the anti-religious parties a greater majority.  

If you are going to attend the rally, please send in some photos, and remember according to the Knesset Election Law: Any person who does one of the following can expect to be punished... Influences the voter's choice of a list of candidates through the use of oaths, curses, excommunication, or blessings.

*UPDATE*
According to the Times of Israel, the Degel HaTorah party did not heed my warning and was offering blessings to those who vote for the party. Disaster was averted, however, when:

Supreme Court Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, head of the Central Elections Committee suggested changing the text from “blessed with” to “merited with.” Another sentence that had the phrase “will be blessed from the source of all blessings” should be altered to “will merit all goodness from the source of all bounty,” Rubinstein ordered.

Al Jazeera Explains How Israel's Elections Work

Here's a primer on Israel's electoral system from Al Jazeera of all places.

When voters go to the polls on January 22, few are expecting major changes. Binyamin Netanyahu, leading the right-wing Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu list, is almost certain to retain the post of prime minister in the 19th Knesset.

Netanyahu's would-be coalition partners, however, could play a role in changing government policy towards the prospects for peace with the Palestinians, domestic economic management and broader trends in international affairs, including how Israel deals with Iran's nuclear programme. Political analysts are split on whom Netanyahu would ask to join a coalition.

Security issues are high on this election's agenda, and social inequality has been emphasised by a number of the parties. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has not played as prominent a role in this year's campaigns as it has in previous election cycles.

How is the government elected?

Based on a system of proportional representation, where voters select a party instead of a specific individual, Israeli elections have always resulted in coalition governments. To win an outright majority, a party would need to win more than 60 seats in the 120-member Knesset.

The minimum required for a party to win a Knesset seat is two percent of the total votes cast.

The prime minister is normally - but not always - the leader of the party that wins the most seats. He or she then negotiates with other parties to form a governing coalition.

In the 2009 election, although the incumbent prime minister's party, Kadima, won the most seats in the parliament, the Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu was able to form a majority coalition government and become the new prime minister.

Why were elections called?

Netanyahu called for early elections in October 2012, saying he wouldn't be able to pass a "responsible" budget with his current coalition partners. He was pushing for deeper cuts to public spending.

If he hadn't called an early vote, the election would have happened in October 2013 - after the completion of the Netanyahu government's four-year term. In the past two decades, it has been rare for an Israeli government to finish a full term.

Who can vote?

Israeli citizens of all ethnic and religious groups above the age of 18 are entitled to vote. This includes Arab citizens of Israel, who generally vote in lower numbers than Jewish Israelis.

5,656,705 eligible voters can cast ballots at 10,128 polling stations, including 190 in hospitals and 57 in prisons. There are also 96 voting places at Israeli diplomatic missions abroad.

What are the election logistics?

There are 34 party lists competing for seats, reflecting a wide range of outlooks and beliefs. Prior to the elections, each party presents its platform and the list of candidates for the Knesset in order of precedence.

The Central Elections Committee, headed by a justice of the Supreme Court and including representatives of the parties holding seats in the Knesset, is responsible for conducting and supervising the elections.

Polls will open at 7:00am (0500GMT) and close at 10:00pm (2000GMT) on January 22. Election Day is a public holiday.

Who is in the current government?

Likud-Beiteinu, the governing electoral alliance led by Netanyahu, currently holds a combined 42 seats in the Knesset. 

Likud ["The Consolidation"] first came to power in 1977 under the leadership of Menachem Begin, a former head of the Irgun armed paramilitary group. Yisrael Beiteinu ["Israel Our Home"], founded by Avigdor Lieberman in 1999, has policies further to the right of Likud and is seen by many as extremist.

Kadima ["Forward"], the party founded by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2005, holds 28 seats. It is led by Shaul Mofaz, who is seen as a centist. The party promotes a two-state solution with the Palestinians. It is not polling well in the upcoming election and may struggle to win a single seat.

Labour, led by Shelly Yachimovich, holds just eight seats, and is trying to focus its campaign on economic issues, rather than on security. 

HaBayit HaYehudi ["The Jewish Home"] is set to make some of the biggest gains in this election. Currently it only holds three seats but the right-wing, religious party led by Naftali Bennett, a former special forces commander, has gained popularity.

In its first election, HaTnuah ["The Movement"] led by former foreign minister Tzipi Livni, says it supports a return to negotiations with the Palestinians and claims to be an alternative to Likud. It is expected to win about seven seats.

Led by TV host Yair Lapid, Yesh Atid ["There is a future"] is a new party that portrays itself as an alternative to the established groups. It is set to win more than six seats, according to polls.

Shas, a religious party comprised of Jews originally hailing from North African and Middle Eastern countries, currently holds 11 seats.

What are some other parties?

Yahadut HaTorah ["United Torah Judaism"], another religious party, caters primarily to Ashkenazi Haredi groups and holds five seats.

Meretz ["Energy"], a secular party newly led by Zahava Gal-On, is seen as pro-environment and left-leaning, and holds three seats.

Ra'am-Ta'al [an acronym for "The Arab Movement for Renewal"], an alliance primarily supported by Arab-Israelis, holds four seats.

Hadash [an acronym for "The Democratic Front for Peace and Equality"], a leftist party led by Mohammed Barakeh with support from Arabs and Jews, also holds four seats.

Balad [an acronym for "National Democratic Assembly"], a secular Arab nationalist party led by Jamal Zahalka, holds three seats.

The task of forming a government and heading it as prime minister is assigned by President Shimon Peres to the Knesset member considered to have the best chance of forming a viable coalition government in light of the results.

Parties remaining outside the government comprise the opposition. The Knesset member to whom the task is assigned has a period of 28 days to form a government. The president may extend this term by up to 14 days.

Israel Hayom | Officials: Peres possibly violated censorship laws

Israel Hayom had an interesting article regarding President Shimon Peres' recent statements opposing a unilateral Israeli attack on Iraninan nuclear facilities. The relevant part for me is the following:

Peres said no Israeli military action will be undertaken in Iran before presidential elections in the U.S. in November. According to government officials, aside from the public debate on the matter, Peres' remark was a possible severe violation of the censorship law as well as a violation of a law against exposing operational information to an enemy.

As far as I can tell, the Censorship Law refers to the Defence (Emergency) Regulations published during the British Mandate in 1945. I did not see what part of the censorship provisions the President may have violated. Most of the violations in those Regulations stem from a direct contravention of a censorship order.

However, Article 4 of the Penal Law- 1977 covers espionage and may pertain to this situation.

Delivery of information to enemy

111. If a person knowingly delivered information to or for the enemy, then he is liable to ten years imprisonment; if the information is likely to benefit the enemy, then he is liable to fifteen years imprisonment; if he thereby intended to injure national security, then he is liable to life imprisonment; if by negligence he caused to be delivered to or for the enemy information likely to benefit him, then he is liable to three years imprisonment.

Espionage

112. (a)  If a person delivered information and intended to injure national security, then he is liable to fifteen years imprisonment.

(b)  If a person obtained, collected, prepared, recorded or kept information and thereby intended to injure national security, then he is liable to ten years imprisonment.

Aggravated espionage

113. (a)  Repealed

(b)  If a person delivered secret information, without being authorized to do so and thereby intended to injure national security, then he is liable to life imprisonment.

(c)  If a person obtained, collected, prepared, recorded or kept secret information without being authorized to do so, then he is liable to seven years imprisonment; if he thereby intended to injure national security, then he is liable to fifteen years imprisonment.

(d)  (1) In this section, "secret information" – information which national security requires that it be kept secret, or information that relates to a category of subjects which the Government – by order published in Reshumot with approval by the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee – declared to be secret subjects;

(2) information the contents, form, ways of keeping it, its source and the circumstances under which it was obtained indicate that national security requires it to be kept secret, unless it was proven differently.

(3) The provisions of paragraphs (1) and (2) shall also apply to the matter of section 113A.

(e)  It shall be a good defense for a person charged with an offense under subsection (c) that he did nothing unlawful to obtain information that constitutes secret information, and that he obtained, collected, prepared, recorded or kept it in good faith and for a reasonable purpose.

Secret information

113A. If a person passes secret information without being qualified to do so, then he shall be liable to fifteen years imprisonment.

Some of the sections of the law have an "intent" requirement which is probably lacking in this case. Regardless, I can't imagine the government pursuing criminal charges against the President- although the media would love it.

For an article about the role of the government censor in Israel, see here.

For an article about the Defence (Emergency) Regulations, see here.

Prime Minister Reports on President's Travels

Today's post is just a little quirky piece of Israeli law.

I recently saw a public notice in Reshumot, the official gazette for the publication of records and laws in Israel, that made me do a double take. It is a notice "signed" by the Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, notifying the public that the President, Shimon Peres, left the country for 3 days. That's all it says.

Apparently, according to the Basic Law: The President, the Prime Minister must notify us of the President's travels outside the country:

24.(b) The Prime Minister shall publish a notice in Reshumot as to the President's leaving the territory of the State and as to his return.

This is the notice in Hebrew:

הודעה על יציאת נשיא המדינה את גבולות המדינה ועל שובו

לפי חוק–יסוד: נשיא המדינה

בהתאם לסעיף 24(ב) לחוק–יסוד: נשיא המדינה , אני מודיע על יציאת נשיא המדינה את גבולות המדינה ביום ב' באלול התשע"א (1 בספטמבר 2011) ועל שובו ביום ה' באלול התשע"א (4 בספטמבר 2011).

י"ב באלול התשע"א (11 בספטמבר 2011) (חמ 3—1300)

בנימין נתניהו

ראש הממשלה

Now this notice was published on September 26, 2011 even though the President had already returned by September 4th. I guess we just need to be apprised of the President's travels but not for the purposes of knowing his itinerary.

I checked the President's website but didn't see any press release for those dates, so maybe it was a pleasure trip. If you live in another country and met with the President between September 1st and 4th, please let me know.