Israeli Democracy vs American Democracy.

Before you start this task, print out a copy of the answer form, or open a separate window for the answers, so that you can formulate your answers while you are looking up the information below.

Function of the Political System. The function of a political system is to govern the country, by enacting the laws supported by the citizens of that country (carried out by their elected representatives), to make sure that the enacted laws are actually carried out and then interpreted correctly.

Political Structures. A legislative passes the laws, the executive initiates and enforces the laws, and the judiciary interprets the laws.
Every democratic system contains these three elements, in one way or another. We are going to compare the Israeli and United States system, by defining the three different parts of the system and comparing them. The comparison is not exact because the two countries' systems are very different. However, despite this a comparison can help to understand the way that the Israeli system of parliamentary democracy works, who are the key players and why the system is successful (for the most part).

The Quest for Information on the Web.

Firstly, look at the following site for a theoretical introduction to the elements of the American system.

The US Political System

 

Then, for more information about the actual branches themselves, check out,
The House of Representatives
The Senate
The White House

The Israeli Political System
Although the Israeli system contains the three-part system that you can see exists in the United States, the institutions are not divided so easily. You will find that you need to think creatively in order to compare and contrast the two systems. For a theoretical overview, look at:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Overview of the 3 branches
The Judicial System
Then, for more details about the branches themselves,
Prime Minister's Office
The Prime Minister and his Government
The Knesset
The Supreme Court

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