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Knesset Law, 5754-1994

חוק הכנסת, תשנ"ד-1994

Published: 1994-05-04Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2025-04-01 · Last amended 2025-12-17✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-28
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More

This English text was translated from the official Hebrew using a range of translation tools, and it undergoes ongoing checks and updates. It is not a certified translation.

Despite these checks, it may contain errors, omissions, or imprecise renderings of legal terminology and cross-references, and it may not yet reflect the latest amendments. It cannot be relied upon as a legal text.

The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.

This translation is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For use in legal proceedings, request a certified Expert Legal Opinion.

Chapter V: Miscellaneous Provisions

Convening of the Knesset§

9.
(a)
(1)The Knesset shall hold two sessions per year; one session shall open within four weeks after the festival of Sukkot, the second session shall open within four weeks after Independence Day; the combined duration of the two sessions shall be at least eight months; if the Knesset has not convened within the four weeks aforesaid, it shall convene on Monday of the fifth week following the festival of Sukkot or Independence Day, as the case may be, at four o'clock in the afternoon;
(2)In a year in which elections to the Knesset are held and in a year in which the determining date, as defined in the Political Parties Financing Law, 5733-1973, falls, the number, the date of opening or the duration of the sessions may differ from that prescribed in paragraph (1).
(b)The Speaker of the Knesset shall convene the Knesset, outside the session periods of the Knesset, as referred to in section 31 of Basic Law: The Knesset, upon a demand by twenty-five members of the Knesset or upon a demand by the Government.

Date of Termination of Office of a Member of the Knesset§

9a.

If the period enumerated in sections 41 or 42c(b) or (f) of Basic Law: The Knesset ends on a day of rest, its conclusion shall be deferred to the following day that is not a day of rest at 10:00; for this purpose, "day of rest" — the Sabbath or a festival from among the festivals of Israel listed in section 18a(a) of the Law and Administration Ordinance, 5708-1948.

Presidium of the Knesset§

10.

The Speaker of the Knesset and the Deputy Speakers shall constitute the Presidium of the Knesset; the number of Deputy Speakers of the Knesset shall not exceed nine; however, the Knesset Committee may, by a majority of three-quarters of its members, determine that during the term of the Knesset in which the decision is adopted this limitation shall not apply.

Publication in the Reshumot (Official Gazette)§

10a.

Notice shall be published in the Reshumot (Official Gazette) on behalf of the Knesset in respect of the following acts, pursuant to the sections set out below in Basic Law: The Knesset or in this Law:

(1)the Budget Law was not adopted by the time prescribed in section 36a of the Basic Law;
(2)the suspension and reinstatement of membership of a member of the Knesset pursuant to section 42c of the Basic Law;
(3)the replacement of members of the Knesset pursuant to section 43 of the Basic Law;
(4)the faction affiliation of a member of the Knesset who commenced his tenure following a faction split pursuant to section 62a of this Law.

Periods Not to be Counted for the Purposes of the Time Limits for the Adoption of the Budget Law§

10b.

The following are the periods that shall not be counted in the calculation of the time limits pursuant to section 36a(b) of Basic Law: The Knesset: a festival from among the festivals of Israel listed in section 18a(a) of the Law and Administration Ordinance, 5708-1948, and their eves.

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Chapter VI: Leader of the Opposition

Determination of the Leader of the Opposition§

11.
(a)The Leader of the Opposition shall be the member of the Knesset from the largest of the opposition factions, and among factions of equal size the one that received the greatest number of votes in the elections, whom that faction has notified to the Speaker of the Knesset, unless more than half of the members of the Knesset from the opposition factions have notified the Speaker of the Knesset in writing, at any time, of another member of the Knesset from among them.
(b)The Speaker of the Knesset shall announce in the Knesset the determination of the Leader of the Opposition within 14 days after the commencement of the tenure of the Prime Minister and the Ministers pursuant to section 14 of Basic Law: The Government, and if another Leader of the Opposition has been determined in his place — shortly after the determination; if the Leader of the Opposition is determined during the recess of the Knesset — the notice shall be conveyed to the members of the Knesset by the Secretary of the Knesset; the Leader of the Opposition shall enter upon his tenure upon the conveyance of the notice.
(c)In this Law, "opposition factions" — the factions in the Knesset that are not parties to agreements obligating support for the Government, and that have so notified the Speaker of the Knesset.

Termination of Tenure§

12.
(a)The Leader of the Opposition shall cease to serve in his position in any of the following:
(1)he has died or resigned from his position;
(2)he has ceased to be a member of the Knesset or has been suspended from his membership in the Knesset;
(3)another Leader of the Opposition has been determined in his place pursuant to section 11;
(4)he has ceased to serve in a faction of the opposition factions.
(b)The provisions of sections 7 and 8 shall apply, with the necessary modifications, to the Leader of the Opposition; if the Leader of the Opposition has been suspended from his position, a temporary Leader of the Opposition shall be determined pursuant to section 11.

Report by the Prime Minister to the Leader of the Opposition§

13.

The Prime Minister shall invite the Leader of the Opposition as required and not less than once a month, and shall brief him on the affairs of the State.

Status of the Leader of the Opposition in the Knesset§

14.

The Leader of the Opposition may address the Knesset plenary immediately after the Prime Minister; additional provisions regarding the status and duties of the Leader of the Opposition in the Knesset shall be prescribed in the Rules of Procedure of the Knesset.

Status of the Leader of the Opposition at State Ceremonies§

15.

A place shall be designated for the Leader of the Opposition at state ceremonies in which the Prime Minister participates, in accordance with rules to be determined by the Government.

Remuneration and Conditions of Employment§

16.
(a)The Knesset Committee shall determine the remuneration of the Leader of the Opposition in accordance with Chapter IX, provided that the remuneration of the Leader of the Opposition shall not be less than that of a Minister; the Knesset Committee shall also determine provisions regarding the conditions of employment of the Leader of the Opposition and regarding the professional and administrative staff that shall be placed at his disposal.
(b)In this section, "remuneration" means monthly salary, supplements, grants and other payments.

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Chapter VII: Legal Adviser to the Knesset

Legal Adviser to the Knesset and His Functions§

17.
(a)The Knesset shall have a legal adviser.
(b)The Legal Adviser to the Knesset shall —
(1)advise the Speaker of the Knesset, office holders therein and the institutions of the Knesset on all matters of law and jurisprudence relating to their powers and functions;
(2)advise the Knesset and its committees on all matters relating to legislative proceedings and shall act to ensure their proper conduct;
(3)advise members of the Knesset on all matters relating to the Knesset and arising from their membership therein;
(4)represent the Knesset before courts; however, he may, with the consent of the Attorney General, request that the Knesset be represented by the State Attorney's Office, or authorise another advocate to represent the Knesset;
(5)discharge any other function imposed upon him by any law.
(c)If the Legal Adviser to the Knesset considers that proceedings before a court involve a legal question relating to the Knesset or affecting it, he may appear in those proceedings and present his position.
(c1)If a court considers, in proceedings before it, that it is required to examine the question of the validity of a law, it shall invite the Knesset to appear in the proceedings, and the Knesset shall be entitled to present its arguments in proof of its validity.
(d)The Legal Adviser to the Knesset is an employee of the Knesset and shall serve as the head of the Legal Bureau of the Knesset.

Appointment of the Legal Adviser to the Knesset§

18.
(a)The Legal Adviser to the Knesset shall be appointed by the Speaker of the Knesset, with the approval of the Knesset Committee, from among the candidates recommended by the public committee appointed pursuant to the provisions of section 20, in accordance with the procedures prescribed in this Law.
(b)The provisions of the State Service (Appointments) Law, 5719-1959, shall apply to the appointment of the Legal Adviser to the Knesset, subject to the provisions of this Law.

Qualifications§

19.

An Israeli citizen and resident of Israel who is qualified to serve as a Justice of the Supreme Court shall be qualified to serve as Legal Adviser to the Knesset, provided that in the five years preceding the presentation of his candidacy he was not active in political life and was not a member of any party; for the purposes of this section, a person who did not pay membership dues to a party and did not participate in activity in its institutions shall not be regarded as a member of a party.

The Public Committee§

20.
(a)The Speaker of the Knesset shall appoint a public committee, which shall examine the qualifications and suitability of candidates for the position of Legal Adviser to the Knesset and shall recommend to him two to four of them, with an indication of the number of committee members who supported the candidacy of each of them, and it may attach its remarks regarding them; the names of the candidates recommended by the committee shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette).
(b)The public committee shall consist of seven members, and its composition shall be as follows:
(1)a retired Justice of the Supreme Court appointed by the President of the Supreme Court, who shall be the chairperson;
(2)three members of the Knesset, namely: the chairperson of the Knesset Committee, the chairperson of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset, and the chairperson of the Committee for State Audit Affairs of the Knesset;
(3)the Civil Service Commissioner or his representative;
(4)the President of the Bar Association or his representative;
(5)a member of the academic staff of an institution of higher education who is an expert in the fields of public law, to be selected by the deans of the faculties of law and persons in equivalent positions at institutions of higher education that conduct law studies; for this purpose, "institution of higher education" means an institution that has been recognised or that has received a permit under the Council for Higher Education Law, 5718-1958.

Procedures of the Public Committee§

21.

The public committee shall determine the ways of submitting candidacies for the position of Legal Adviser to the Knesset, as well as its working procedures and the procedures for examining candidates, provided that its decision to recommend a candidate for the position of Legal Adviser to the Knesset to the Speaker of the Knesset shall be adopted by a majority of at least four of its members.

Time of Selection§

22.
(a)The appointment of a Legal Adviser to the Knesset shall be made, as far as possible, no earlier than ninety days and no later than thirty days before the expiry of the term of office of the incumbent adviser; if the position of Legal Adviser to the Knesset becomes vacant before the expiry of his term of office, the appointment shall be made within forty-five days from the day on which the position became vacant.
(b)Notice of the appointment of a Legal Adviser to the Knesset shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette).

Duration of Term of Office§

23.

The term of office of the Legal Adviser to the Knesset shall be five years from the day of his appointment, and the Speaker of the Knesset may, with the approval of the Knesset Committee, appoint him for additional terms of office.

Restriction of Activity§

24.

During his term of office and in the year following it, the Legal Adviser to the Knesset shall not be active in political life and shall not be a member of any party.

Remuneration and Allowances§

25.
(a)The remuneration of the Legal Adviser to the Knesset shall be determined by the Speaker of the Knesset, with the approval of the Knesset Committee.
(b)Notwithstanding the provisions of the State Service (Pensions) Law [Consolidated Version], 5730-1970, for the purpose of calculating the pension of the Legal Adviser to the Knesset who, in the year preceding his appointment, was subject to a budgetary pension arrangement under the pensions law, the provisions applicable to a holder of a judicial office under the Allowances for State Authority Office Holders Law, 5729-1969, shall apply in respect of his term of office in the said position, in accordance with the remuneration determined pursuant to subsection (a); in this subsection, "pensions law" means one of the following: the State Service (Pensions) Law [Consolidated Version], 5730-1970, the Regular Service in the Israel Defence Forces (Pensions) Law [Consolidated Version], 5745-1985, or the Allowances for State Authority Office Holders Law, 5729-1969.
(c)A Legal Adviser to the Knesset whose tenure has expired upon the conclusion of his term of office pursuant to section 26(1), or upon his resignation pursuant to section 26(2), provided that he has completed at least one full term of office, shall be regarded as having been dismissed pursuant to section 15(4) of the State Service (Pensions) Law [Consolidated Version], 5730-1970.

Expiry of Tenure§

26.

The tenure of the Legal Adviser to the Knesset expires —

(1)upon the conclusion of his term of office;
(2)upon his death or resignation;
(3)upon his removal from office;
(4)upon his reaching the age of 65.

Removal from Office§

27.
(a)
(1)The Speaker of the Knesset may, with the consent of the Knesset Committee, remove the Legal Adviser to the Knesset from office if one of the following applies:
(a)he has been convicted by a final judgment of a criminal offence, except for an offence listed in section 7(a)(2);
(b)he has committed an act unbecoming his status;
(c)he has been permanently incapacitated from performing his functions;
(2)The Speaker of the Knesset shall not remove the Legal Adviser to the Knesset from office except after giving him an opportunity to present his arguments before the Speaker of the Knesset and before the Knesset Committee.
(b)
(1)The Knesset may, by a decision of a majority of its members, remove the Legal Adviser to the Knesset from office; however, the Knesset shall not remove him from office except on the basis of a proposal of the Knesset Committee adopted by a majority of its members;
(2)The Knesset Committee shall not propose the removal of the Legal Adviser to the Knesset from office except after giving him an opportunity to present his arguments before it.

Suspension§

28.
(a)The Speaker of the Knesset may suspend the Legal Adviser to the Knesset if criminal proceedings, as defined in section 7(a)(2), are being conducted against him, or if an investigation that may lead to the conduct of such proceedings is being conducted against him, for the period during which they are being conducted; if the proceedings or investigation as aforesaid concern an offence which, by reason of its nature, gravity or circumstances, renders the Legal Adviser to the Knesset unfit to continue serving in his position, the Speaker of the Knesset shall suspend the Legal Adviser to the Knesset for the said period.
(b)The Speaker of the Knesset shall not suspend the Legal Adviser to the Knesset except after giving him an opportunity to present his arguments before him.

Deputy Legal Adviser to the Knesset§

29.
(a)The Speaker of the Knesset shall appoint, upon the proposal of the Legal Adviser to the Knesset, a Deputy Legal Adviser to the Knesset from among the employees of the Legal Bureau.
(b)The Deputy Legal Adviser to the Knesset must be qualified to serve as Legal Adviser to the Knesset.
(c)If the position of Legal Adviser to the Knesset becomes vacant and for as long as the new Legal Adviser to the Knesset has not commenced his tenure, or if the Legal Adviser to the Knesset is absent from the country, is suspended, or is temporarily incapacitated from performing his functions, the Deputy shall discharge the functions imposed upon the Legal Adviser to the Knesset and shall exercise the powers vested in him by any law.

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