Security Cabinet of Israel
Encyclopedia
The Political-Security Cabinet or The Ministers Committee on Security Affairs is a narrow forum of 'Inner Cabinet' within the Israeli Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister of Israel
Prime Minister of Israel
The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...

, with the purpose of outlining a foreign and defense policy and implementing it. This smaller forum of the cabinet members, is designated to coordinate the diplomatic negotiations, and in times of crisis, especially war, it is designed to make quick and effective decisions.

The history and the idea behind the establishment of a Security Cabinet

The idea of establishing a Security Cabinet was initially part of the Centre Party
Centre Party (Israel)
The Centre Party , originally known as Israel in the Centre, was a short-lived political party in Israel. Formed in 1999 by former Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai, the aim was to create a group of moderates to challenge both Binyamin Netanyahu on the right and opposition leader Ehud Barak's...

 party's platform of 1999 election, chaired by Yitzhak Mordechai
Yitzhak Mordechai
Yitzhak Mordechai is an Israeli former general and politician. He served as a member of the Knesset between 1996 and 2001, and as Minister of Defense and Minister of Transport. He retired from political life after being indicted for sexual assaults during his military service and later...

. The party offered a new security plan, in which a Security Cabinet will be established for the purpose of implementing an affective peace and security plan. According to their platform, a new council for diplomatic planning and advising will be established, that will be headed by a person appointed by the Prime Minister, who will preside over small professional teams in the relevant fields. Furthermore, they suggested that the Prime Minister, Acting Prime Minister, Vice prime Minister, the Director-Generals of the Defense, Foreign, and Treasury ministries, as well as the Chief of General Staff, chief of Shin Bet, the Military secretary to Prime Minister, will take part in the security cabinet meetings on regular basis, and that others presiding over the diplomatic negotiations or any other relevant officials will participate accordingly. The idea behind the Security Cabinet was to create a professional objective advising body to the Cabinet. The members would evaluate different situations, offer alternatives, determine positions, and oversight on the Cabinet and the army.

In practice, the forming of this body was based on section 6 of the "Government Law" of 2001 that stipulated the following:
Concerning the issues the minister's committee on national security will tackle, the law stipulated that:

The "War Cabinet"

During Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...

, a group of ministers was formed arbitrarily, and had assumed responsibility for taking fundamental decisions during that war. This group became to be known as "The War Cabinet", and later was also nicknamed "Golda's kitchen
Kitchen Cabinet of Israel
The Kitchen or The Kitchen Cabinet is a term used in Israeli politics to describe the collection of senior officials, or unofficial advisers to the Security Cabinet, as a narrow forum of 'Inner Security Cabinet', operating alongside the Security Cabinet, with the purpose of assisting it in...

". The 'War Cabinet' had made independent decisions during those emergency times, and the Government had approved those decisions only in retrospect. Against that background, already during those times, the question of the necessity and role of such a cabinet arose. On the other hand, some suggested that the Cabinet members should run the war as they see fit - without the need of getting anybody's approval.

Cabinet Members

  • Permanent Members:


Appointment by law:
  1. Prime Minister of Israel
    Prime Minister of Israel
    The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...

     - Benjamin Netanyahu
    Benjamin Netanyahu
    Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...

    , Chairman
  2. Foreign Affairs Minister
    Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel
    The Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel is the political head of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The position is one of the most important in the Israeli cabinet after Prime Minister and Defense Minister...

     - Avigdor Lieberman
  3. Minister of Finance
    Ministry of Finance (Israel)
    The Israeli Ministry of Finance is a part of the Israeli political system. It is responsible for planning and implementing the Government of Israel’s overall economic policy....

     - Yuval Steinitz
    Yuval Steinitz
    Yuval Steinitz , is an Israeli academic and politician who has been a Knesset member for Likud since 1999. He is now the Finance Minister of Israel.-Biography:...

  4. Defense Minister - Ehud Barak
    Ehud Barak
    Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....

  5. Internal Security Minister - Yitzhak Aharonovich
    Yitzhak Aharonovich
    -External links:...

  6. Justice Minister
    Justice Minister of Israel
    The Justice Minister of Israel is the political head of the Israeli Ministry of Justice and a position in the Israeli cabinet. The current minister is Ya'akov Ne'eman, an independent who is not a member of the Knesset....

     - Ya'akov Ne'eman


Additional Members:
  1. Moshe "Boogie" Ya'alon
    Moshe Ya'alon
    Moshe "Bogie" Ya'alon is an Israeli politician and former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. He currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Likud, as well as the country's Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Strategic Affairs.-Early life:...

  2. Silvan Shalom
    Silvan Shalom
    ' , born 4 October 1958) is an Israeli politician, member of the Knesset for Likud and the country's Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Regional Development. He previously served as the country's Foreign Minister and Finance Minister.-Biography:...

  3. Dan Meridor
    Dan Meridor
    Dan Meridor is an Israeli politician and minister. A longtime member of the Likud party, in the late 1990s he became one of the founders of the Centre Party. He rejoined Likud in the early 2000s, and returned to the Knesset following the 2009 elections...

  4. Gideon Sa'ar
    Gideon Sa'ar
    Gideon Sa'ar is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Likud, and as the country's Minister of Education.-Biography:...

  5. Benny Begin
  6. Uzi Landau
    Uzi Landau
    Uzi Landau is an Israeli politician, member of the Knesset for Yisrael Beiteinu and Minister of National Infrastructure. Previously a Likud MK, he served as Minister of Internal Security between 2001 and 2003.-Biography:...

  7. Eli Yishai
    Eli Yishai
    Eliyahu "Eli" Yishai is an Israeli politician and head of the Shas party. He currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Shas, and as both one of four Deputy Prime Ministers and Minister of Internal Affairs.- Political life :...

  8. Ariel Atias
    Ariel Atias
    Ariel Atias is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Shas, and as the country's Minister of Housing and Construction. He is also manager of Shas' kosher supervision organization.-Biography:...

  9. Binyamin Ben-Eliezer
    Binyamin Ben-Eliezer
    Binyamin Fuad Ben-Eliezer , , born 12 February 1936) is an Israeli politician and former military officer of Iraqi origin. He currently serves as a member of the Knesset for the Labor Party, and has held several ministerial posts, including Minister of Industry, Trade and Labour, Minister of...



Permanent attendees - without a vote:
  • Daniel Hershkowitz
    Daniel Hershkowitz
    Rabbi Professor Daniel Hershkowitz is an Israeli politician, mathematician and rabbi. In 2009 he was elected to the Knesset as the leader of The Jewish Home, and was appointed Minister of Science and Technology....

  • Isaac Herzog
  • Yossi Peled
    Yossi Peled
    Yossi Peled is an Israeli general and politician, the former Aluf of the Northern Command in the Israel Defense Forces. He currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Likud.-Early life:...

  • Limor Livnat
    Limor Livnat
    is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Likud, and as the country's Minister of Culture & Sport.-Biography:Born in Haifa, Livnat is the only member of Knesset not to have a secondary education...

  • Shalom Simhon
    Shalom Simhon
    Shalom Simhon is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for Independence. He currently serves as the Minister of Industry, Trade and Labour and Minister of Minorities in the Israeli cabinet.-Biography:...

  • Attorney General of Israel
    Attorney General of Israel
    The Attorney General of Israel stands at the head of the legal system of the executive branch and the head of the public legal establishment, in charge of protecting the rule of law and as such entrusted with protecting the public interest from possible harm by government authorities...


Official Authorization

  • Israel's security agencies
    Israeli Security Forces
    Security forces in Israel include a variety of organizations, including law enforcement, military, paramilitary, governmental, and intelligence agencies.-Military:...

    ' objectives and its policies.
  • Issues concerning the IDF
    Israel Defense Forces
    The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...

    , including the army's structure, deployment, alertness and its equipment, research and development in these fields, receiving the annual national intelligence estimate, and oversight on events evolving in these areas.
  • Receiving information concerning intelligence matters, diplomatic issues, military and security operations.
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