The knesset

The Knesset, the central political institution in Israel, has undergone profound transformation in the course of the past decade. Changes in the electoral laws, in candidate selection procedures, and in societal composition have combined to make the Knesset simultaneously more representative and its members less likely to represent their constituents than ever before. At the same time, formal rules have been eroded and informal understandings have made parliamentary life less predictable. As a result, the Knesset has become a focus of stepped up legislation while its supervisory powers have eroded. The Knesset remains the main stage for public deliberation, but its debates are far from exemplary. This article traces the shifts in the make-up, structures, and role performance of the Knesset as an institution and members of the Knesset, rendering a picture of contradiction and confusion which offers a microcosm of the problems of stability, governance and durability that permeate the Israeli political scene in recent years.