Provisional State Council

Provisional State Council מועצת המדינה הזמנית‎ Moetzet HaMedina HaZmanit
Type
Type	Unicameral
History
Founded	12 April 1948
Disbanded	3 February 1949
Leadership
Council President	Chaim Weizmann (1948–1949), General Zionists
Council Speaker	Yosef Sprinzak, Mapai
Prime Minister	David Ben-Gurion, Mapai
Structure
Seats	37
Political groups	Provisional government (30)   Mapai (10)   Mapam (3)   General Zionists (3)   New Aliyah (3)   Mizrachi (3)   Hapoel HaMizrachi (2)   Agudat Yisrael (2)   Sephardim and Oriental Communities (1)   Ahdut HaAvoda-Poalei Tzion (1)   Poale Zion Left (1)   Independent (1) Opposition (7)   Hatzohar (3)   Poalei Agudat Yisrael (1)   Maki (1)   WIZO (1)   Yemenite Association (1)

The Provisional State Council (Hebrew: מועצת המדינה הזמנית, Moetzet HaMedina HaZmanit) was the temporary legislature of Israel from shortly before independence until the election of the first Knesset in January 1949. It took the place of His Majesty's Privy Council, through which the British Government had legislated for Mandatory Palestine.

The Provisional State Council was established under the name Moetzet HaAm (מועצת העם‎, lit. People's Council) on 12 April 1948 in preparation for independence just over a month later. There were 37 members representing all sides of the Jewish political spectrum, from the Revisionists to the Communists. A separate body, Minhelet HaAm was set up as the proto-cabinet, all of whose members were also members of Moetzet HaAm.

On 14 May at 13:50, Moetzet HaAm met at the Jewish National Fund building in Tel Aviv to vote on the text of the Israeli Declaration of Independence. Despite disagreements over issues such as borders and religion, it was passed unanimously and the meeting ended at 15:00, an hour before the declaration was to be made. The 37 members were those that signed the declaration.

Following independence, the body was renamed the Provisional State Council. Its last meeting was held on 3 February 1949, after which it was replaced by the Constituent Assembly which was had been elected on 25 January. The Constituent Assembly first convened on 14 February, and two days later declared itself the first Knesset.

The council's titular figurehead, Chaim Weizmann, was Israel's de facto head of state until he was elected president in February 1949.

• Historical overview of the Provisional State Council Knesset website
• Provisional State Council Knesset website