Speaker of the Knesset
יוֹשֵׁב רֹאשׁ הכנסת‎
Yoshev Rosh HaKnesset
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, romanized: Yoshev Rosh HaKnesset, 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

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

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 194928 January 1959Mapai1, 2, 3
2 Nahum Nir
(1884–1968)		2 March 195930 November 1959Ahdut HaAvoda3
3 Kadish Luz
(1895–1972)		30 November 195917 November 1969Mapai, Alignment4, 5, 6
4 Reuven Barkat
(1906–1972)		17 November 19695 April 1972Alignment7
5 Yisrael Yeshayahu Sharabi
(1908–1979)		9 May 197213 June 1977Alignment7, 8
6 Yitzhak Shamir
(1915–2012)		13 June 197710 March 1980Likud9
7 Yitzhak Berman
(1913–2013)		12 March 198020 July 1981Likud9
8 Menachem Savidor
(1917–1988)		20 July 198113 August 1984Likud10
9 Shlomo Hillel
(1923–2021)		11 September 198420 November 1988Alignment11
10 Dov Shilansky
(1924–2010)		21 November 198813 July 1992Likud12
11 Shevah Weiss
(1935–2023)		13 July 199224 June 1996Labor13
12 Dan Tichon
(born 1937)		24 June 19967 June 1999Likud14
13 Avraham Burg
(born 1955)		6 July 199917 February 2003One Israel, Labor15
14 Reuven Rivlin
(born 1939)		19 February 20034 May 2006Likud16
15 Dalia Itzik
(born 1952)		4 May 200630 March 2009Kadima17
(14) Reuven Rivlin
(born 1939)		30 March 20095 February 2013Likud18
16 Yuli-Yoel Edelstein
(born 1958)		18 March 201325 March 2020Likud19, 20, 21, 22
17 Benny Gantz
(born 1959)		26 March 202017 May 2020Blue & White23
18 Yariv Levin
(born 1969)		17 May 202013 June 2021Likud23
19 Mickey Levy
(born 1951)		13 June 202113 December 2022Yesh Atid24
(18) Yariv Levin
(born 1969)		13 December 202229 December 2022Likud25
20 Amir Ohana
(born 1976)		 29 December 2022 Incumbent Likud 25

References

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