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Speaker of the Knesset

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Speaker of the Knesset
Hebrew: יוֹשֵׁב רֹאשׁ הכנסת
Arabic: رئيس الكنيست
Incumbent
Amir Ohana
since 29 December 2022
SeatJerusalem, Israel
AppointerKnesset
Formation14 February 1949
First holderYosef Sprinzak
WebsiteKnesset

The Speaker of the Knesset (Hebrew: יוֹשֵׁב רֹאשׁ הכנסת, romanizedYoshev Rosh HaKnesset, Arabic: رئيس الكنيست, romanizedRa'īs Al-Kinisit, lit.'Chairman of the Knesset') is the presiding officer of the Knesset, the unicameral legislature of Israel. The Speaker also acts as President of Israel when the President is incapacitated. The current speaker is Amir Ohana, who was elected on 29 December 2022.

Position

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The Speaker and their deputies are elected by members of the Knesset. Until a Speaker is elected, the oldest Knesset member who is not the prime minister, the prime minister-elect, a minister or deputy minister, serves as acting speaker.[1]

The Speaker is responsible for conducting the affairs of the Knesset and representing the Knesset. They are also charged with preserving the dignity of the Knesset, the decorum of its sittings and observance of Knesset rules of procedure.[2]

The Speaker is assisted by a number of Deputy Speakers. Together, the Speaker and Deputy Speakers constitute the Presidium of the Knesset. The Presidium sets the Knesset agenda.

Ahdut HaAvoda's Nahum Nir and Blue & White's Benny Gantz are the only Speakers not to have come from the ruling party, though in two cases (Avraham Burg and Reuven Rivlin) the party of the speaker (One Israel and Likud respectively) lost power during their term.

The Speaker is expected to act in a non-partisan nature, but may occasionally take part in debates, and is allowed to vote.

List of Knesset speakers

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A total of twenty people have served as Speaker of the Knesset, two of whom, Reuven Rivlin and Yariv Levin, have served two non-consecutive terms.

Speaker Knesset
No. Portrait Name
(Lifespan)
Term of office Political party
1 Yosef Sprinzak
(1885–1959)
14 February 1949 28 January 1959 Mapai 1, 2, 3
2 Nahum Nir
(1884–1968)
2 March 1959 30 November 1959 Ahdut HaAvoda 3
3 Kadish Luz
(1895–1972)
30 November 1959 17 November 1969 Mapai, Alignment 4, 5, 6
4 Reuven Barkat
(1906–1972)
17 November 1969 5 April 1972 Alignment 7
5 Yisrael Yeshayahu Sharabi
(1908–1979)
9 May 1972 13 June 1977 Alignment 7, 8
6 Yitzhak Shamir
(1915–2012)
13 June 1977 10 March 1980 Likud 9
7 Yitzhak Berman
(1913–2013)
12 March 1980 20 July 1981 Likud 9
8 Menachem Savidor
(1917–1988)
20 July 1981 13 August 1984 Likud 10
9 Shlomo Hillel
(1923–2021)
11 September 1984 20 November 1988 Alignment 11
10 Dov Shilansky
(1924–2010)
21 November 1988 13 July 1992 Likud 12
11 Shevah Weiss
(1935–2023)
13 July 1992 24 June 1996 Labor 13
12 Dan Tichon
(1937–2024)
24 June 1996 7 June 1999 Likud 14
13 Avraham Burg
(born 1955)
6 July 1999 17 February 2003 One Israel, Labor 15
14 Reuven Rivlin
(born 1939)
19 February 2003 4 May 2006 Likud 16
15 Dalia Itzik
(born 1952)
4 May 2006 30 March 2009 Kadima 17
(14) Reuven Rivlin
(born 1939)
30 March 2009 5 February 2013 Likud 18
16 Yuli-Yoel Edelstein
(born 1958)
18 March 2013 25 March 2020 Likud 19, 20, 21, 22
17 Benny Gantz
(born 1959)
26 March 2020 17 May 2020 Blue & White 23
18 Yariv Levin
(born 1969)
17 May 2020 13 June 2021 Likud 23
19 Mickey Levy
(born 1951)
13 June 2021 13 December 2022 Yesh Atid 24
(18) Yariv Levin
(born 1969)
13 December 2022 29 December 2022 Likud 25
20 Amir Ohana
(born 1976)
29 December 2022 Incumbent Likud 25

References

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