elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA November 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party - One Israel 20.2%, Likud Party 14.1%, Shas 13%, MERETZ 7.6%, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya 5.1%, Shinui 5%, Center Party 5%, National Religious Party 4.2%, United Torah Judaism 3.7%, United Arab List 3.4%, National Union 3%, Hadash 2.6%, Yisra'el Beiteinu 2.6%, Balad 1.9%, One Nation 1.9%, Democratic Movement NA (party formed after election, members elected under Yisra'el Ba'Aliya list); seats by party - One Israel 26, Likud Party 19, Shas 17, MERETZ 10, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya 4, Shinui 6, Center Party 6, National Religious Party 5, United Torah Judaism 5, United Arab List 5, National Union 4, Hadash 3, Yisra'el Beiteinu 4, Democratic Movement 2 (party formed after election, members elected under Yisra'el Ba'Aliya list), Balad 2, One Nation 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (justices appointed for life by the president)
Political parties and leaders: Balad or National Democratic Alliance
[Amnon LIPKIN-SHAHAK]; Center Party [Yitzhak MORDECHAI]; Democratic
Movement [Roman BRONFMAN]; Gesher [David LEVI]; Hadash [Muhammad
BARAKA]; Labor Party [leader vacant]; Likud Party [Ariel SHARON];
MERETZ [Yossi SARID]; National Democratic Alliance (Balad) [leader
NA]; National Religious Party [Yitzhak LEVY]; National Union
[Rehavam ZEEVI] (includes Herut, Tekuma, and Moledet); One Israel
[leader NA] (includes Labor, Gesher, and Meimad); One Nation [Amir
PERETZ]; Shas [Eliyahu YISHAI]; Shinui [Tommy LAPID]; United Arab
List [Abd al-Malik DAHAMSHAH]; United Torah Judaism [Rabbi Eliezer
SHACK, spiritual leader]; Yisra'el Ba'Aliya [Natan SHARANSKY];
Yisra'el Beiteinu [Avigdor LIEBERMAN]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Gush Emunim, Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and is critical of government's Lebanon policy
International organization participation: BSEC (observer), CCC, CE
(observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE (partner),
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
David IVRY
chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 364-5500