The Knesset

About
Until the end of 1949 the meetings of the Provisional State Council (Moetzet Hamedina Hazmanit) were held at the Tel Aviv Museum, the "Kessem" cinema, and the "San-Remo" hotel. On 26 December 1949, the Knesset moved to its temporary residence in "Beit Frumin" on King George Street in Jerusalem, and on 31 August, 1966 - to its permanent residence at Kiryat Ben Gurion. 

 The name "Knesset" derives from the "Great Knesset" ("Great Assembly") which convened in Jerusalem after the return of the Jews to Eretz Yisrael from the Babylonian exile in the fifth century B.C.E. The number of Knesset Members was also determined on the basis of the number of members of the Great Knesset.

FREE Guided tours of the Knesset Building 
The Knesset offers guided tours (in Hebrew, Arabic, English, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Amharic, Yiddish, and Finnish).
Only on Sundays and Thursdays between 8:30 am - 14:30 pm.
♦ Groups and individuals, must arrange their guided tour in advance.


Knesset Sessions - Open to the public
One may observe the Knesset sessions from the public gallery.
Open sessions  Monday - 16:00 pm, Tuesday - 16:00 pm & Wednesday - 11:00 am
♦ Groups must call and arrange this visit
♦ Individuals may arrive directly with their identity cards or passports.

Important Passport or Israeli ID must be presented upon entry.

Getting there
Egged bus lines to the Knesset: 14, 35, 7 and 7A.
Free parking is available at "HaLe'om" Car Park located opposite the Supreme Court building. A shuttle service operates between the car park and the Knesset approximately every 15 minutes.