Knesset Premises, Precincts and Guard Law, 5728-1968

In this Law –

"Knesset Premises" – the building designated for the Knesset;

"Knesset Precincts" – the area surrounding the Knesset Premises whose boundaries are marked by a thick line on the map set out in the Schedule to this Law, including the buildings and roads within that area.

"authorised person" – any one of the following:

"member of the Knesset Guard" – a person appointed to maintain security and order in the Knesset Premises and the Precincts;

"usher" – a person appointed to maintain order in the Knesset Premises and the Precincts and to provide services to Members of the Knesset and visitors to the Knesset Premises in accordance with the directions of the Speaker of the Knesset;

"person authorised to conduct a search" – a member of the Knesset Guard, an usher or a person authorised to do so by the Speaker of the Knesset, after having undergone appropriate professional training as determined by the Knesset Officer, provided that there is no impediment to his appointment on grounds of public safety, including his criminal record;

"person authorised to demand identification" – a person authorised by the Knesset Officer to demand identification and the production of documents, after having undergone appropriate professional training, provided that there is no impediment to his appointment on grounds of public safety, including his criminal record;

"prohibited article" – any one of the following:

"guide dog" – as defined in the Prohibition of Discrimination against Persons with Blindness Accompanied by Guide Dogs Law, 5753-1993;

"additional compound" – a place situated outside the Knesset Premises or the Precincts, including in an area as defined in the Law for the Extension of the Validity of Emergency Regulations (Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip – Jurisdiction over Offences and Legal Assistance), 5738-1977, whose boundaries have been defined by the Speaker of the Knesset as referred to in section 15a, at a time when a sitting of the Knesset or of one of its committees or an event on behalf of the Knesset is being held therein.

The Speaker of the Knesset may give any direction and take any measure that appear to him necessary for the maintenance of order and security in the Knesset Premises and the Precincts.

No person shall enter the plenary chamber during its working hours except by virtue of a special permit granted by the Speaker of the Knesset or on his behalf, and in accordance with the conditions of the permit.

No person shall bring a prohibited article into, or hold one within, the Knesset Premises or the Precincts except by permit from the Speaker of the Knesset.

Any person or body performing a function by law (in this section – a public servant) is not authorised to perform in the Knesset Premises or the Precincts any act which he is obliged or authorised to perform in the discharge of his function, except by permit from the Speaker of the Knesset, and the fact that the public servant acted as aforesaid in accordance with instructions from his superior shall not serve as a defence.

"assembly" – ten persons or more who have gathered to act jointly;

"procession" – ten persons or more who are walking together, or who are gathering for the purpose of walking together, from place to place for a common purpose, whether or not they have formed into a march.

An usher or a member of the Knesset Guard may direct any person to do an act or to refrain from doing it in order to comply with the provisions of this Law or directions given thereunder.

An usher or a member of the Knesset Guard may remove from the Knesset Premises and the Precincts any person who has entered, or intends to enter, the Knesset Premises or the Precincts without a permit.

The Knesset Officer, a member of the Knesset Guard or an usher may remove a person from the Knesset Premises and the Precincts if he has not complied with directions lawfully given, or has disturbed order in the Premises or the Precincts, or if there is reasonable ground to suspect that he is likely to disturb order therein, or if he has entered a place to which entry was not permitted to him.

An authorised person may demand from any person who seeks to enter the Knesset Premises or the Precincts, or who is present therein, to provide his name and address and to present to him an identity card or other official document attesting to his identity, as well as an entry permit in accordance with the provisions of this Law.

If a member of the Knesset Guard or an usher has reasonable grounds to suspect that a person has committed an offence in the Knesset Premises or the Precincts, or that he is about to commit therein an offence liable to endanger the safety or security of a person, or public safety, public order or State security, he may detain him and demand that he accompany him to a police station or deliver him to a police officer; the provisions of sections 72 to 74 of the Criminal Procedure (Enforcement Powers – Arrests) Law, 5756-1996 (hereinafter – the Arrests Law), shall apply to a detention as aforesaid, with the necessary modifications.

"search" – a search without a judicial warrant;

"body search" – a search on the surface of a person's body, in his clothing or in his personal effects.

A person authorised to conduct a search may demand that a prohibited article be deposited at a place that he indicates, for as long as the person carrying it is present in the Knesset Premises or the Precincts.

An usher or a member of the Knesset Guard may use force to the extent necessary for the performance of their functions.

An authorised person shall not bear criminal or civil liability for an act or omission performed in good faith and in a reasonable manner in the course of his duties and for the purpose of performing them; however, nothing in the provisions of this section shall derogate from disciplinary liability under any law.

A person who assaults an authorised person while he is lawfully performing his duties, or who obstructs or hinders an authorised person in the performance of his duties, shall be treated as if he had done so towards a police officer (within the meaning of the Police Ordinance), and the Law for the Amendment of Penal Law (Assault of Police Officers), 5712-1952 shall apply to him.