ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the process of ministerial selection in Israel, describing those who are selected and the circumstances under which they are de-selected, or sacked, from the cabinet. The cabinet is one of the pillars of Israel's democracy. Israeli governments emerge out of the Knesset, the unicameral parliament, and are dependent on its confidence. The legal constraints on ministerial nomination hardly affect the process of cabinet formation in Israel. Therefore, the selection of ministers in Israel is a highly partisan process - cabinet membership is allocated to parties and by parties. In addition, the selection process is decentralized. At the coalition level, some cabinet posts are allocated to coalition parties that are given the choice of appointing particular ministers based upon the subset of portfolios allocated to them. In 1981 the Basic Law: The Government was amended, giving Prime Ministers the authority to dismiss ministers with no specification of the reason for the dismissal.
