Israel has no written constitution. Various attempts to draft the formal document since 1948 have fallen short of the mark, and instead Israel has evolved a system of basic laws and rights, which enjoy semi-constitutional status. This provisional solution is increasingly inadequate for Israel's needs, and the necessity for completing this historic task has never been so urgent.
In May 2003, the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee of the Knesset, chaired by Member of Knesset Michael Eitan, initiated the Constitution by Broad Consensus Project, which aims to write a constitution for the State of Israel. The Committee has been meeting weekly since then with the aim of consolidating a draft of a constitution that will enjoy wide support among Israelis and Jews worldwide. The proposed constitution will ultimately be brought to the Knesset and the people for consideration and ratification.
The Committee believes that since Israel is the democratic state of the Jewish people, it is appropriate to appeal to the worldwide Jewish community and invite their input on central constitutional issues, particularly regarding those questions which involve the relationship between Israel and the Jewish people.
This website is a first step in this direction. It includes:
· Historical background on the constitutional project in Israel.
· Legal, social, and political information presenting and explaining major constitutional issues and disputes.
· Summaries of the Committee meetings.
· Proposed drafts of chapters of the constitution.
· A forum for readers to comment, express opinions, and read other people’s thoughts on the issues.
This section describes Israel's need for a written constitution, a short history of the attempts to frame a constitution, including the “constitutional revolution” of 1992, and general information on the Constitution by Broad Consensus Project.
