# Israeli Election Data

> Access Israeli election and political data from the Knesset OData v4 API and the Central Elections Committee (data.gov.il). Use when user asks about Knesset, Israeli elections, MK (Member of Knesset) information, Israeli voting records (per-MK plenum votes via KNS_PlenumVote/KNS_PlenumVoteResult), legislative bills in Israel, Knesset committees, Israeli political parties, coalition data, or elect…

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-skills-il-government-services-israeli-election-data`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [skills-il](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/skills-il)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Data & Analytics](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/data-and-analytics)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [skills-il](https://github.com/skills-il)
- **Source:** https://github.com/skills-il/government-services/tree/master/israeli-election-data

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-skills-il-government-services-israeli-election-data
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# Israeli Election Data

## Instructions

### Step 1: Identify Data Need

| Data Type | Source | Endpoint / Dataset |
|-----------|--------|--------------------|
| MK information | Knesset OData v4 | `KNS_Person`, `KNS_PersonToPosition`, `KNS_MkSiteCode` |
| Plenum votes (per-MK detail) | Knesset OData v4 | `KNS_PlenumVote`, `KNS_PlenumVoteResult` |
| Bills / legislation | Knesset OData v4 | `KNS_Bill`, `KNS_BillInitiator`, `KNS_BillName` |
| Israeli law corpus (enacted) | Knesset OData v4 | `KNS_IsraelLaw`, `KNS_IsraelLawName`, `KNS_SecondaryLaw` |
| Committee sessions | Knesset OData v4 | `KNS_Committee`, `KNS_CommitteeSession`, `KNS_CmtSessionItem` |
| Plenum sessions | Knesset OData v4 | `KNS_PlenumSession`, `KNS_PlmSessionItem` |
| Parliamentary questions (שאילתות) | Knesset OData v4 | `KNS_Query` |
| Agenda proposals (הצעות לסדר-היום) | Knesset OData v4 | `KNS_Agenda` |
| Knesset session dates | Knesset OData v4 | `KNS_KnessetDates` |
| Party information | Knesset OData v4 | `KNS_Faction` |
| Election results (per locality / per ballot) | data.gov.il (Central Elections Committee) | dataset `votes-knesset` (CSVs for Knessets 16-25) |
| Party platforms / candidate lists | Central Elections Committee | `bechirot.gov.il` |

### Step 2: Query the Knesset OData v4 API

**Base URL:** `https://knesset.gov.il/OdataV4/ParliamentInfo/`

OData v4. The root URL returns the entity list. As of May 2026 the service exposes all `KNS_`-prefixed entities listed in Step 1 plus the document and lookup tables documented in `references/knesset-api-entities.md`.

**Legacy v3 fallback:** the older endpoint at `https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/` is still live. Code written against it keeps working, but v4 is the current API and exposes vote tables (`KNS_PlenumVote`, `KNS_PlenumVoteResult`) that v3 does not. New work should target v4.

**Query pattern (v4):**
```
GET {BASE_URL}/{ENTITY}?$filter={FILTER}&$top={LIMIT}&$select={FIELDS}&$orderby={FIELD}
```

v4 returns JSON by default; `$format=json` is no longer required. Include `$count=true` to get the total record count alongside the page; pair with `$top=0` to get a count-only response. For large result sets (any per-MK vote query, multi-Knesset historical pulls), the v4 server returns `@odata.nextLink` when more pages exist; loop on `nextLink` until it's absent. Default page size varies by entity, so do not rely on a single `$top=N` to return everything.

**Get all MKs in the 25th Knesset (sworn in 2022-11-15):**
```
GET .../KNS_PersonToPosition?$filter=KnessetNum eq 25 and (PositionID eq 43 or PositionID eq 61)&$top=120
```
PositionID 43 = male MK (`חבר הכנסת`), 61 = female MK (`חברת הכנסת`). PositionID 54 is a separate "faction member" designation, see Gotchas. Full lexicon in `references/knesset-api-entities.md`.

**Search MK by name (Hebrew or English), v4 uses `contains`, not v3's `substringof`:**
```
GET .../KNS_Person?$filter=contains(LastName,'נתניהו') or contains(FirstName,'נתניהו')&$top=10
```

**Get factions in a Knesset:**
```
GET .../KNS_Faction?$filter=KnessetNum eq 25
```

### Step 3: Per-MK Plenum Votes (v4)

The two entities to know:

| Entity | Role |
|--------|------|
| `KNS_PlenumVote` | One row per vote: title, time, session, method, status, for/against descriptions, no-confidence flag |
| `KNS_PlenumVoteResult` | One row per MK per vote: `MkId`, `VoteID`, `ResultDesc` ("בעד" / "נגד" / "נמנע"), `LastName`, `FirstName` |

**Find a vote, then the per-MK results:**

1. Find the vote by topic:
```
GET .../KNS_PlenumVote?$filter=contains(VoteTitle,'תקציב')&$orderby=VoteDateTime desc&$top=5
```
Field is `VoteTitle`, NOT `ItemTitle` (which does not exist on this entity, see Gotchas).

2. Pull per-MK results for that vote (paginate, do not assume 120 rows):
```
GET .../KNS_PlenumVoteResult?$filter=VoteID eq {id}&$top=200&$count=true
```
**Absent MKs are not in the response.** `KNS_PlenumVoteResult` only contains MKs who registered a vote (for / against / abstain). A missing MK row does NOT mean "voted no", it means "did not vote / not present". For attendance analysis, compare the returned `MkId` set against the active-MK list from `KNS_PersonToPosition` for that Knesset.

3. Filter to a specific MK by name (safest path, names are bundled in every result row):
```
GET .../KNS_PlenumVoteResult?$filter=VoteID eq {id} and contains(LastName,'גפני')
```
Or by `MkId` if you already have it from a prior `KNS_PlenumVoteResult` row:
```
GET .../KNS_PlenumVoteResult?$filter=VoteID eq {id} and MkId eq {mkId}
```
**`MkId` is a distinct identifier space from `KNS_Person.Id`.** Treat `MkId` as opaque, harvest it from `KNS_PlenumVoteResult` rows themselves (each row also carries `FirstName` / `LastName`), rather than assuming `KNS_Person.Id` equals `MkId`. If you only have a person from `KNS_Person`, find their `MkId` via a name match on a recent `KNS_PlenumVoteResult` query and cache it for the session.

Field is `MkId`, NOT `PersonID`. Read `ResultDesc` ("בעד" / "נגד" / "נמנע") for the outcome; `ResultCode` integer values do not follow a simple 1/2/3 mapping (the live value for "בעד" on row 1 is 7), always use `ResultDesc`.

For aggregate "did the bill pass" status without per-MK detail, query `KNS_Bill.StatusID` (Step 4).

**Historical / archival vote data** before public v4 access: the `hasadna/knesset-data` community ETL at `https://github.com/hasadna/knesset-data` still mirrors Knesset internal databases to CSV/parquet, useful for academic analysis and bulk back-fills.

### Step 4: Track Legislation

**Search bills by keyword (v4 `contains` syntax):**
```
GET .../KNS_Bill?$filter=KnessetNum eq 25 and contains(Name,'דיור')&$orderby=PublicationDate desc&$top=50
```

**Bill status codes (key values):**
- 108 = Preparation for first reading
- 118 = Approved in third reading (became law)
- 125 = Rejected

For the full list: `KNS_Status?$filter=TypeID eq 5`.

**Bill initiators, documents, related committee items:**
```
GET .../KNS_BillInitiator?$filter=BillID eq {id}&$expand=KNS_Person($orderby=LastName)
GET .../KNS_DocumentBill?$filter=BillID eq {id}
```
The `BillID` column in these related tables points back to `KNS_Bill.Id`. In v4 the primary key on every `KNS_*` entity is uniformly named `Id`; older "BillID / PersonID / CommitteeID" names persist only as foreign-key columns in related tables.

**Legislative process stages:**
1. Bill draft (private member or government bill)
2. Preliminary reading (private bills only, plenum vote)
3. Committee review (assigned to the relevant committee)
4. First reading (plenum vote on bill principles)
5. Committee preparation (clause-by-clause review)
6. Second reading (clause-by-clause plenum vote)
7. Third reading (final vote on the entire bill)
8. Publication in Reshumot (official gazette), the bill becomes law

### Step 5: Election Results (per Locality / per Ballot)

The Central Elections Committee publishes results on **data.gov.il** under the dataset `votes-knesset`:

- Catalog page: `https://data.gov.il/dataset/votes-knesset`
- CKAN API: `https://data.gov.il/api/3/action/package_show?id=votes-knesset`

Each Knesset election (16th through 25th) has two CSV files:
- **By locality** (`לפי יישובים`), aggregated turnout and vote counts per city/town.
- **By ballot box** (`לפי קלפיות`), raw per-ballot results, granular enough for analysis at individual-station resolution.

Example URL for 25th Knesset by locality:
```
https://e.data.gov.il/dataset/26f9fa06-fcd7-4173-8df5-65797b63e857/resource/b392b8ee-ba45-4ea0-bfed-f03a1a36e99c/download/-25-.csv
```

Find the latest resource IDs via the CKAN API call above.

**Note on `votes.gov.il`:** older documentation cites `votes.gov.il` as the results site. That hostname no longer resolves; the canonical site is now `https://www.bechirot.gov.il/` (Central Elections Committee, may be in maintenance between election cycles) and the canonical data is on data.gov.il.

### Step 6: Electoral System Facts

- **Knesset size:** 120 seats (unchanged since 1949).
- **System:** Single national-list proportional representation, no districts.
- **Electoral threshold:** **3.25%** of valid votes since the March 2014 amendment to the Knesset Elections Law (חוק הבחירות לכנסת). Was 2% before that.
- **Seat allocation:** Modified D'Hondt, named **Bader-Ofer** in Israel (after MKs Yohanan Bader and Avraham Ofer). Internationally equivalent to the Hagenbach-Bischoff method. Two-phase allocation: (1) integer share of valid votes among parties that crossed the threshold, (2) "leftover seats" via D'Hondt highest-averages.
- **Surplus-vote agreements (`heskemei odafim`):** Two parties may sign a pre-election pact to be treated as one bloc for the leftover-seat round only.
- **Election schedule:** No fixed cycle. Knesset term is up to 4 years but can be dissolved earlier. The next election (26th Knesset) must be held no later than **27 October 2026** under current legislation.

### Step 7: 2022 Election Results (25th Knesset)

Canonical seat counts for the November 1, 2022 election:

| Faction (Hebrew) | Faction (English) | Seats | Bloc |
|------------------|-------------------|-------|------|
| הליכוד | Likud | 32 | Coalition |
| יש עתיד | Yesh Atid | 24 | Opposition |
| הציונות הדתית | Religious Zionism-Otzma Yehudit | 14 | Coalition |
| המחנה הממלכתי | National Unity | 12 | Opposition |
| ש"ס | Shas | 11 | Coalition |
| יהדות התורה | United Torah Judaism (UTJ) | 7 | Coalition |
| ישראל ביתנו | Yisrael Beiteinu | 6 | Opposition |
| רע"מ | Ra'am (United Arab List) | 5 | Opposition |
| חד"ש-תע"ל | Hadash-Ta'al | 5 | Opposition |
| העבודה | Labor | 4 | Opposition |

**Total coalition: 64, opposition: 56.** Below-threshold parties: Meretz (3.16%) and Balad (2.91%), both received 0 seats. The 25th Knesset was sworn in on November 15, 2022.

### Step 8: Municipal Elections

Municipal elections (`bechirot reshuyot mekomiyot`) are normally held every five years. Most recent cycle:

- **27 February 2024**, 242 localities. Runoff round 10 March 2024 in 35 localities where no candidate cleared 40%.
- **November 2024**, separate round for 11 northern and southern localities that were evacuated due to the Gaza/Lebanon wars and could not vote in February.
- Turnout was a historic low of approximately 49.5%.

Municipal results live on `https://www.bechirot.gov.il/local2024/Pages/default.aspx` and were eventually mirrored to `data.gov.il`. Each city publishes its own breakdown via the Ministry of Interior (`https://www.gov.il/he/departments/ministry_of_interior`).

### Step 9: Coalition, Government, and Auxiliary Data

| Topic | Source |
|-------|--------|
| Coalition agreements (full text, Hebrew) | `https://www.gov.il/he/Departments/policies` and PMO publications |
| Government composition (current ministers) | `KNS_PersonToPosition` filtered to `PositionID eq 39` (male) / `57` (female) / `45` (PM) |
| Knesset committee composition | `KNS_PersonToPosition` filtered to `PositionID eq 41` (chair) / `42` (member) |
| Faction membership (separate from MK role) | `KNS_PersonToPosition` filtered to `PositionID eq 54` (see Gotchas) |
| Knesset speaker | `PositionID eq 122` (male) / `123` (female) |
| Party financing reports | State Comptroller (`mevaker hamedina`): `https://www.mevaker.gov.il/` |
| Voter eligibility / registration check | Ministry of Interior: `https://www.gov.il/he/service/check_voter_registration` |
| Population context (per-locality demographics) | Central Bureau of Statistics: `https://www.cbs.gov.il/` |

### Israeli Political Terminology

| Hebrew | English | Meaning |
|--------|---------|---------|
| כנסת | Knesset | Parliament |
| חבר/ת כנסת | MK | Member of Knesset |
| סיעה | Faction | Political party/bloc inside the Knesset |
| מפלגה | Party | Registered political party (separate from `סיעה`) |
| קואליציה | Coalition | Governing alliance |
| אופוזיציה | Opposition | Non-governing parties |
| הצעת חוק | Bill | Legislative proposal |
| חוק יסוד | Basic Law | Quasi-constitutional law |
| ועדה | Committee | Knesset committee |
| מליאה | Plenum | Full Knesset session |
| הצבעה | Vote | Parliamentary vote |
| אחוז חסימה | Electoral threshold | Minimum vote share for representation (3.25%) |
| הסכם עודפים | Surplus-vote agreement | Pre-election pact between two parties for leftover-seat allocation |
| בדר-עופר | Bader-Ofer | The Israeli D'Hondt seat-allocation formula |
| קלפי | Kalpi | Ballot box / polling station |
| רשומות | Reshumot | Official gazette where laws are published |
| ועדת הבחירות המרכזית | Central Elections Committee | National election authority |

## Examples

### Example 1: MK Lookup
User says: "Tell me about MK Karine Elharrar."
Actions:
1. Search `KNS_Person?$filter=contains(LastName,'אלהרר')` to find the person's `Id`.
2. Query `KNS_PersonToPosition?$filter=PersonID eq {id}` to enumerate her current and historical roles (MK terms, ministerial positions).
3. Use `KNS_Faction` to resolve `FactionID` to faction name per Knesset.
4. Present MK profile with party affiliation and ministerial history. For her actual votes on plenum motions, query `KNS_PlenumVoteResult?$filter=MkId eq {id}` (see Example 5).

### Example 2: Bill Tracking
User says: "What happened to the bill on the haredi draft?"
Actions:
1. Search `KNS_Bill?$filter=KnessetNum eq 25 and contains(Name,'גיוס')`.
2. Read each bill's `Id`, `StatusID`, `SubTypeID`.
3. Find sponsors: `KNS_BillInitiator?$filter=BillID eq {id}&$expand=KNS_Person`.
4. Look up status text via `KNS_Status`.
5. Pull related committee sessions via `KNS_CmtSessionItem?$filter=ItemID eq {bill.Id}`.
6. Present bill status, sponsor list, committee assignment, and current reading.

### Example 3: Election Analysis by Locality
User says: "Show me the 25th Knesset results for Haifa."
Actions:
1. Resolve the latest `votes-knesset` per-locality CSV via the CKAN API: `GET data.gov.il/api/3/action/package_show?id=votes-knesset`, pick the resource named `תוצאות האמת של הבחירות לכנסת ה-25 לפי ייישובים`.
2. Download the CSV (`-25-.csv`).
3. Filter by locality code or Hebrew name (`חיפה`).
4. Aggregate by faction column.
5. Compare to national results from Step 7.

### Example 4: Coalition Composition
User says: "Which factions are in the current coalition?"
Actions:
1. Query `KNS_Faction?$filter=KnessetNum eq 25` to list all factions.
2. Match against the canonical Step 7 table (Likud, Religious Zionism, Shas, UTJ are coalition).
3. Note that coalition composition can shift mid-term, always confirm against current Knesset/Government news.

### Example 5: Per-MK Vote Lookup (v4 only)
User says: "Did MK Gafni vote in favor of the budget?"
Actions:
1. Find the budget vote: `KNS_PlenumVote?$filter=contains(VoteTitle,'תקציב')&$orderby=VoteDateTime desc&$top=10`, pick the relevant `Id`.
2. Filter `KNS_PlenumVoteResult` by `VoteID` + last name (the row already carries `FirstName` / `LastName`, no need to resolve through `KNS_Person`): `KNS_PlenumVoteResult?$filter=VoteID eq {voteId} and contains(LastName,'גפני')`.
3. If the result set is empty, that means MK Gafni did not register a vote (absent / abstained-by-absence), NOT "voted no". Report the absence honestly.
4. If results exist, read `ResultDesc` ("בעד" / "נגד" / "נמנע") and present alongside `VoteTitle` and `VoteDateTime`. Note: do NOT derive `MkId` from `KNS_Person.Id`, those are different ID spaces; the name match on the result row is the reliable path.

## Bundled Resources

### Scripts
- `scripts/query_knesset.py`, Query the Knesset OData v4 API. Subcommands: `mks` (list MKs by Knesset), `search-mk` (by name), `bills` (search by keyword), `votes` (find votes by topic, optionally per-MK results), `factions` (list factions), `entities` (list available OData entities), `positions` (list position-ID lexicon). Run: `python scripts/query_knesset.py --help`.

### References
- `references/knesset-api-entities.md`, Entity reference for the Knesset OData v4 API: field names, OData v4 filter syntax (`contains`, `i

…

## Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

- **Author:** [skills-il](https://github.com/skills-il)
- **Source:** [skills-il/government-services](https://github.com/skills-il/government-services)
- **License:** MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-skills-il-government-services-israeli-election-data
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/skills-il
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

---
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