1. Contestant Number Three Israel’s Government

2. Type of Government Israel is a Parliamentary democracy. The power is shared by the Prime Minister (Benjamin Netanyahu), and the Knesset, their legislative branch. Israel also has a president (Shimon Perez is the head of state, but his role is primarily ceremonial (this means he has little actual power). The central government has all of the power. Israel has a constitution that provides basic human rights and freedoms to its citizens. Constitution Information - Click

3. Right to Vote Citizen 18 years and older vote for the members of the legislature, The Knesset. Its 120 members are elected by popular vote to four-year terms; voters cast ballots for parties, not for individual candidates. Arabs in Israel have equal voting rights ; in fact, it is one of the few places in the Middle East where Arab women may vote. Today women hold 9 of the 120 Knesset seats.

4. Freedom of Religion "The law provides for freedom of religion, and the Government respects this right." In fact, each religious community has legal authority over its members in matters of marriage and divorce. They also control their own holy places in Jerusalem and elsewhere in the country.

5. Freedom of Speech and Press Israel’s radio and Television stations are not controlled by the government. Cable and satellite television are widely viewed by citizens. Most Israelis own computers and have access to the internet. Citizens are allowed to write and access media freely.

6. Judicial Rights Israel inherited and continued certain laws adopted by the British.. Israel's policy is that organizational imprisonment is only to be used against violent offenders. The detainee is entitled to be represented by counsel, and may appeal to the Israeli Supreme Court. Israel's prisons are probably among the most closely inspected in the world. One reason is the government has allowed representatives of the Red Cross and other groups to inspect them regularly. The State Department observes that "laws and administrative regulations prohibit the physical abuse of detainees." The courts and a variety of Israeli human rights organizations carefully monitor the treatment of prisoners. Nevertheless, abuses do occur, as they do in the United States.

7. Rights for Women Women in Israel have been guaranteed gender equality since the establishment of the state in 1948. This has enabled women to actively participate in Israeli life. Israel was the third country in the world to be led by a female prime minister, Golda Meir, and in 2010, women's parliamentary representation in Israel was 18 percent, which is above the Arab world's average of 6 percent and equals that of the U.S. Congress. Still, it trails far behind the Scandinavian countries' 40 percent average The Israeli parliament, The Knesset, has established “The Committee on the Status of Women,” to address women’s rights. The stated objectives of this committee are to prevent discrimination, combat violence against women, and promote equality in politics, lifecycle events and education. In 1998, the Knesset passed a law for "Prevention of Sexual Harassment".

8. Women’s Right However, the fact that large parts of Israeli life is governed by religious laws instead of secular, means that many forms of discrimination of women are legally allowed in Israel. This is specific to the strict practice of Orthodox Jews that require gender-segregation during prayer and religious services.

9. Affect on the Economy Israel has a diverse market economy with a stable banking system. They have a highly qualified, skilled labor force. Israel has many scientific institutes, a high level of technology, industry and manufacturing. Entrepreneurship is prevalent. Unemployment rate is 6.9%. Inflation rate is 3.5%

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