User:Mrosten/Constitutive Assembly (Israel)

The First Knesset (initially called the Constituent Assembly) was the first elected body in the State of Israel, tasked with establishing the constitution of the State of Israel. Its composition was determined by the elections for the Constituent Assembly on January 25, 1949. The Declaration of Independence stipulated that the Constituent Assembly would establish a constitution for the state by October 1, 1948, according to which the "elected and regular authorities of the state" would be established. The Assembly first convened on the 15th of Shevat 5709 (February 14, 1949). At its fourth meeting, on February 16, 1949, the Assembly decided to change its name from the Constituent Assembly to the First Knesset.

The opening session of the Constituent Assembly was held at the National Institutions House in Jerusalem. Subsequently, the Assembly moved to the Kesem Cinema building in Tel Aviv, but in December 1949, it returned to Jerusalem, and its meetings were held at the National Institutions House. In March 1950, the Knesset settled in the Frumin House.

Before the Elections
On November 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 181 (the Partition Plan), which stipulated that the Land of Israel would be divided into two states: a Jewish state and an Arab state. The resolution specified that in each state, a provisional government council would be established to assume governing powers upon the departure of the mandatory power (Britain), establish an armed militia, and hold elections for a Constituent Assembly within two months at most, whose role would be to establish a constitution.

The Zionist movement accepted the plan (albeit not with great enthusiasm) and began establishing provisional institutions and planning the constitutional framework of the nascent state. A "Situation Committee" was established, which began preparing the establishment of the future state's mechanisms. Within the Situation Committee, councils were formed, including a legal council whose role was to plan the legal and constitutional system.

In April 1948, the Zionist leadership established the People's Council, which comprised 37 members, as well as the People's Administration, which included 13 members from the People's Council. The People's Council served as the legislative authority, and the People's Administration acted as the executive authority, both managing the preparations for the establishment of the state.

On May 14, 1948, the People's Council convened for its final meeting, during which David Ben-Gurion, the Chairman of the People's Administration, declared the establishment of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel, to be known as the State of Israel. The People's Council became the Provisional State Council, and the People's Administration became the Provisional Government. The council began preparations for elections to the Constituent Assembly, including legislating election laws and appointing a Central Election Committee.

On January 13, 1949, the Provisional State Council enacted the "Transition Ordinance to the Constituent Assembly," which stipulated that upon the convening of the Constituent Assembly, the Provisional State Council would cease to exist, and all the powers granted to it by law would be transferred to the Constituent Assembly.

The Elections to the Constituent Assembly
The elections were not held on the dates set in the Partition Plan or the Declaration of Independence due to the ongoing War of Independence. Eventually, the elections for the Constituent Assembly were held on January 25, 1949. Approximately 440,000 voters out of about 500,000 participated in the elections, with a voter turnout of about 87%.

In the elections, the Mapai party won the largest number of seats, securing 46 out of 120. The Mapam party won 19 seats, the United Religious Front 16, the Herut movement 14, the General Zionists 7, the Progressive Party 5, the Sephardim and Oriental Communities and the Maki each won 4 seats, the Democratic List of Nazareth 2, and the Fighters' List, WIZO, and the Yemenite Association in Israel each won 1 seat.

The First Session
The Constituent Assembly convened for the first time on the 15th of Shevat 5709, February 14, 1949, at 4:00 PM, at the National Institutions House in Jerusalem. The session opened with the singing of "Hatikva," followed by an emotional speech from Chaim Weizmann, the President of the Provisional State Council, which began with the words: "With a feeling of reverence and sacred awe, I rise to open the Constituent Assembly of the State of Israel, the first Knesset of Israel in our times, in the eternal city of Jerusalem." Weizmann also added: "Science and research are the foundations of all human creation. All the achievements we have made in science and research among the nations of the world must now be harnessed for the building of our homeland. But with all the decisive importance of science, we shall not rely on it alone. We must build a new bridge between science and the human spirit. Above science are sublime values, which alone hold the cure for the afflictions of humanity - values of justice and integrity, peace, and brotherhood."

After the speech, the assembly members took their oaths: the government secretary read the declaration text: "I pledge to be a loyal citizen of the State of Israel and to faithfully fulfill my duty in the Constituent Assembly," and each member of the assembly stood and said: "I pledge." Following the oath of allegiance, the assembly members proceeded to elect the chairman, and by a majority vote, they elected Yosef Sprinzak from the Mapai party.

After the election of the chairman, a discussion was held regarding the appointment of deputy chairmen, and at 6:00 PM, after singing "Hatikva," the session was adjourned.