Basic Laws
None
When the modern state of Israel was declared in 1948, it was also decided to put together a constitution for the new country. However, because the Constituent Assembly and the first Knesset were unable to agree on what it would include, the Knesset started to legislate basic laws on various subjects.
After all the basic laws are enacted, they are expected to be combined with an appropriate introduction and several general rulings to comprise the country’s constitution.
Opinions differ on whether basic laws have superior standing over other laws. Some jurists claim basic laws are not superior, partly because they are passed by an ordinary majority in the Knesset like other laws. Others claim basic laws have special standing because they are passed by the Knesset acting as the Constituent Assembly, and that their very definition as “basic laws” makes them constitutionally superior.
Existing basic laws include - The Knesset (1958), Israel Lands (1960), The President of the State (1964), The State Economy (1975), The Army (1976), Jerusalem, the Capital of Israel (1980), The Judiciary (1984), The State Comptroller (1988), Human Dignity and Liberty (1992), Freedom of Occupation (1994), and The Government (2001).
