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The modern judicial system in Palestine, later the State of Israel, was established by a British senior judicial officer, Orme Bigland Clarke, who was appointed by General Edmund Allenby in 1918, following the British conquest.
Britain, which was given a League of Nations mandate to govern Palestine, implemented the Common Law system, except for the jury system. Legal precedents in torts and contracts were borrowed from England, and certain legal areas were codified in order to assure legal certainty. Thus the Penal Code in Israel was practically the same as those used by the British in India or other colonies and territories.
Upon Independence, a Bill of Independence was signed as a manifesto for the new State. While it was drafted as a universal and democratic declaration capturing noble ideas prevalent at the time, it is non-binding, although has occasionally been used as a guiding tool by the courts.
The Magistrate Court (Beit Mishpat Hashalom) handles civil cases of less than 2.5 million shekels (but not disputes over the ownership of land), and criminal cases in which the maximum sentence is 7 years. Magistrate Courts are to be found in most Israeli towns. The Magistrate Court has 6 subdivisions. (1) The Juvenile Court deals with criminal offenses committed by people who were not 18 on the date of prosecution and some issues relating to the removal of children from parental custody. The Family Court deals with all civil cases where the parties are close family members. The Small Claims Court deals with cases of less than 30 thousand shekels. "Hotsa'a Lapoal" is the bailiffs office for judgment debt collection. The Traffic Court deals with all traffic offenses. The Court of Local Issues deals with all offenses prosecuted by local authorities (parking tickets, planning violations etc.).
The State of Israel has an unwritten constitution. Instead of a formal written constitution, and in accordance with the Harari Decision (הַחְלָטַת הֲרָרִי) of 13 June 1950 adopted during the Israeli Constituent Assembly, the State of Israel has enacted several Basic Laws of Israel dealing with the government arrangements and with human rights. The Israeli Supreme Court President Aharon Barak ruled that the Basic Laws should be considered the state's constitution, and that became the common approach throughout his tenure (1995-2006). Opponents of this approach include Barak's colleague, Judge of the Supreme Court Mishael Cheshin
Israeli law in the West Bank settlements refers to application of Israeli law to Israeli settlements and Israeli civilians in Area C of the West Bank, a territory under military occupation and therefore subject to military law. Some provisions are applied on a personal basis, such that it applies to Israeli residents rather than territory. Application of the laws has created "enclaves" of Israeli law in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and the term "enclave law" or "enclave-based justice" is used to describe the resulting legal system.
In parallel, other portions of Israeli law, including Israeli criminal law, are applied to Israelis on a personal basis in the West Bank.
Labor unions are legal in Israel, and about one-third of the workforce is unionized. The Histadrut, a large federation of trade unions, has a prominent place in Israel's economy and society. Workers in most industries have a right to strike provided a fifteen-day notice of intention to strike is given. It is illegal to fire a worker for unionizing and participating in union activities, including strikes. However, the right to strike is restricted in the civil service and in institutions considered vital such as medicine, water, energy, and the police force. Israeli labor courts are tasked with settling labor disputes. There are five regional labor courts which handle local disputes, and the National Labor Court in Jerusalem, which handles nationwide strikes, collective disputes, and appeals of decisions of the regional courts
Israel does not have an official religion. 1992 legislation defined the country as Jewish & democratic - but is this instance of Jewish being used as a religious, a racial, or ethnic/cultural term.
The majority of the citizens call themselves Jewish - but as far as their religious practices are concerned they range from secular (nonobservant) to the ultra-Orthodox.
The court system includes religious courts: "Jurisdiction in matters of personal status (marriage, divorce, maintenance, guardianship, adoption) vested in judicial institutions of the respective religious communities: Jewish rabbinical courts, Muslim sharia courts, Druze religious courts, ecclesiastical courts of the ten recognized Christian communities in Israel."