Israeli Law

Israeli law is a mixed legal system reflecting the diverse history of the territory of the State of Israel throughout the last hundred years (which was at various times prior to independence under Ottoman, then British sovereignty), as well as the legal systems of its major religious communities. The Israeli legal system is based in common law, which also incorporates facets of civil law. Israel does not have a formal Constitution, despite the assertion in the Israeli Declaration of Independence that one would be written. Statutes enacted by the Knesset, particularly the Basic Laws of Israel (Hebrew language: חוקי היסוד, ḥŭḳḳēi ha-yyǝsōd), provide a framework which is enriched by political precedent and jurisprudence. Foreign and historical influences on modern-day Israeli law are varied and include the Mecelle (Hebrew: מג'לה; the civil code of the Ottoman Empire) and German civil law, religious law (Jewish Halakha and Muslim Sharia; mostly pertaining in the area of family law), and British common law. The Israeli courts have been influenced in recent years by American Law and Canadian Law and to a lesser extent by Continental Law (mostly from Germany).