| Prime Minister of Israel | |
|---|---|
| Hebrew: רֹאשׁ הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה Arabic: رئيس الحكومة | |
 | |
 Prime Ministerial Standard[1] | |
 | |
| Prime Minister's Office | |
| Style | His Excellency |
| Residence | Beit Aghion |
| Nominator | President |
| Appointer | Knesset[2] |
| Term length | Four years, renewable indefinitely |
| Inaugural holder | David Ben-Gurion |
| Formation | 14 May 1948 |
| Deputy | Alternate Prime Minister |
| Salary | US$170,000 annually[3] |
| Website | pmo.gov.il |
The prime minister of Israel (Hebrew: רֹאשׁ הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה, romanized: Rosh HaMemshala, lit. 'Head of the Government', Hebrew acronym: רה״מ; Arabic: رئيس الحكومة, Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma) is the head of government and chief executive of the State of Israel.
Israel is a parliamentary republic with a president as the head of state. The president's powers are largely ceremonial, while the prime minister holds the executive power. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Aghion, is in Jerusalem. The current prime minister is Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud, the ninth person to hold the position (excluding caretakers).
Following an election, the president nominates a member of the Knesset to become prime minister after asking party leaders whom they support for the position. The first candidate the president nominates has 28 days to form a viable government that can command a majority in the Knesset. He then presents a government platform and must receive a vote of confidence from the Knesset to take office. In practice, the prime minister is usually the leader of the largest party in the governing coalition. Since it all but impossible for one party to win a majority in the Knesset, all Israeli governments have been coalitions between two or more parties. Between 1996 and 2001, the prime minister was directly elected, separately from the Knesset.[4]
The prime minister's position is greatly enhanced compared to his counterparts in other parliamentary republics because he is both de jure and de facto chief executive. This is because Basic Law: The Government explicitly vests executive power in the Government, of which the prime minister is the leader. In most other parliamentary republics, the president is at least nominal chief executive, while usually required by convention to act on the advice of the cabinet.
- ^ Flags of the Israel Defense Forces
- ^ "How Israel's electoral system works". CNN.com. CNN International.
- ^ "IG.com Pay Check". IG.
- ^ Basic Law: The Government (2001) Sections 7a, 13d.