Local government in Israel

Part of a series on the
Politics of Israel
Basic Laws Jerusalem Law Law of Return
Presidency President (list) Isaac Herzog
Executive Prime Minister (list) Benjamin Netanyahu Alternate Prime Minister Office of the Prime Minister Deputy leaders Cabinet Current (37th) Security Cabinet Kitchen Cabinet Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara
Legislature Knesset Speaker: Amir Ohana Members (Arab) Leader of the Opposition Yair Lapid Knesset Guard State Comptroller
Elections Political parties Elections Law Central Elections Committee Referendums
Judiciary Supreme Court President: Esther Hayut
Administrative divisions Districts Local government Municipalities City councils Local councils Regional councils
Foreign relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs Diplomatic missions of / in Israel Ambassadors Nationality law Passport Visa requirements Visa policy Arab League International law Status of territories Status of the Golan Heights Israel and the United Nations Israel and the United States Israel and the European Union
Israel portal Other countries
v t e

This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please help improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (February 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Local government in Israel" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2024)

The local governments of Israel (Hebrew: רשות מקומית; also known as local authorities), are the set of bodies charged with providing services such as urban planning, zoning, and the provision of drinking water and emergency services, as well as education and culture, as per guidelines of the Interior Ministry for communities of all sizes in the country. Almost all local governments take one of three forms: city councils, which governs a large municipality, local councils, which governs a small municipality, and regional councils, which governs a group of communities, often but not necessarily of a rural nature.

All Israeli local governments are operated under a strong Mayor–council system. They appoint a head, or mayor, who is selected through a process of democratic elections along with their fellow council members. If a council's operation is impeded by a severe financial crisis, the Interior Minister may dissolve it, fire the council head, and appoint a special commission to operate the council until normalisation. Councils may enact bylaws for improvement of the residents' quality of life, and in addition to the levy of direct taxes, are allocated funds from the national government via the Interior Ministry. City and local councils are united in the framework of the "Centre for Local Government in Israel", founded in 1938, while regional councils are organised in a separate body.