Basic Laws of Israel function as Israel's "uncodified constitution".

The State of Israel has no formal constitution. This was done partially for religious reasons, with many religious Jews opposing the idea of their nation having a document which the government would regard as nominally "higher" in authority than religious texts such as the Torah, Tanakh, Talmud, and Shulkhan Arukh.

Thus, Israel has what is called an "uncodified constitution", in the form of the Basic Laws of Israel. The basic laws are various pieces of legislation from the courts and the Knesset that outline the nation's political structure.

In 1992 the most formal of all the basic laws was created. Called the Basic Law of the Government it specifically and formally outlines Israel's parliamentary system of government in language and style very similar to that of most nations' constitutions.

List of Basic Laws of Israel

• Basic Law: The Knesset (1958)
• Basic Law: Israel Lands as Basic Law: The People's Lands (1960)
• Basic Law: The President of the State (1964)
• Basic Law: The Government (1968 - null)
• Basic Law: The State Economy (1975)
• Basic Law: The Army (1976)
• Basic Law: Jerusalem, the Capital of Israel (1980)
• Basic Law: The Judiciary (1984)
• Basic Law: The State Comptroller (1988)
• Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty (1992)
• Basic Law: The Government (1992 - null)
• Basic Law: Freedom of Occupation (1992 - null)
• Basic Law: Freedom of Occupation (1994)
• Basic Law: The Government (2001)

See also

• Knesset
• List of political parties in Israel
• Politics of Israel
• Law of Return
• Who is a Jew?

External links

• The Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel (http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/History/Dec_of_Indep.html)
• Basic Laws Index Full Text (http://www.oefre.unibe.ch/law/icl/is__indx.html)
• Basic Laws Knesset Full Text (http://www.knesset.gov.il/description/eng/eng_mimshal_yesod1.htm) (javascript problem)