Local councils (; singular: ; ; singular: ) are one of the three types of

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

found in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, the other two being

cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and regional councils. There are 124 local councils in Israel, including 69

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

local councils.

History

Local council status is determined by passing a minimum threshold: enough to justify operations as independent municipal units, although not of a scale large enough to be declared a city. In general this applies to all settlements of over 2,000 people. The Israeli

Interior Minister An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and iden ...

has the authority of to decide if a locality meets the requirements of a municipal council (a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

). The minister then reviews the residents request, which may include the locality remaining a local council despite meeting the city status requirements (e.g., Ramat HaSharon, which did not become a city until 2002 due to its residents wanting to preserve its image as a small town), or becoming part of a regional council. The Union of Local Authorities in Israel (ULAI) is the umbrella organization of local councils which represents their collective interests ''vis-à-vis'' the national government. It traces its roots to the League of National Councils, which had been established in 1938 under the British Mandate.Union of Local Authorities in Israel

References

External links

Local Government in Israel
The Knesset Lexicon of Terms. 2009 * Local Council Ordinance {{Articles on third-level administrative divisions of countries Subdivisions of Israel Local Councils

History

See also

References

External links