Israeli Election Data

Step 1: Identify Data Need

Step 2: Query Knesset API

Base URL: https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/

Query pattern:

GET {BASE_URL}/{ENTITY}?$format=json&$filter={FILTER}&$top={LIMIT}&$select={FIELDS}

Get all MKs for current Knesset (25th):

GET .../KNS_PersonToPosition?$format=json&$filter=KnessetNum eq 25 and (PositionID eq 43 or PositionID eq 61)&$top=120

Search MK by name:

GET .../KNS_Person?$format=json&$filter=substringof('name', LastName)&$top=10

Step 3: Access Voting Data

Note: Vote data is not available through the public OData API. The entities KNS_VoteMain and KNS_VoteDetail do NOT exist in the public Knesset OData service. For voting data, consult the Knesset website directly or check if alternative data sources are available.

Step 4: Track Legislation

Search bills:

GET .../KNS_Bill?$format=json&$filter=KnessetNum eq 25 and substringof('keyword', Name)&$top=50

Bill status codes:

• 108 = Preparation for first reading
• 118 = Approved in third reading (became law)
• 120 = For plenum discussion on continuity law application

Legislative process stages:

1. Bill Draft -- Private member or Government bill
2. Preliminary Reading -- Private bills only, plenum vote
3. Committee Review -- Assigned to relevant committee
4. First Reading -- Plenum vote on bill principles
5. Committee Preparation -- Detailed clause-by-clause review
6. Second Reading -- Clause-by-clause plenum vote
7. Third Reading -- Final vote on entire bill
8. Publication -- Published in official gazette (Reshumot), becomes law

Step 5: Election Results

Access election data from Central Elections Committee (votes.gov.il):

• Final results by ballot location (~12,000 stations)
• Party lists and candidates
• Voter turnout by locality
• Historical data for all 25 Knesset elections since 1949

Electoral system facts:

• 120 seats, proportional representation
• 3.25% electoral threshold
• Modified D'Hondt method (Bader-Ofer) for seat allocation
• Surplus vote agreements between parties

Step 6: Party and Coalition Data

Get factions in a Knesset session:

GET .../KNS_Faction?$format=json&$filter=KnessetNum eq 25

Israeli political terminology:

Example 1: MK Lookup

User says: "Tell me about MK [name]" Actions:

1. Search KNS_Person for MK by name
2. Get PersonID, then query KNS_PersonToPosition for roles
3. Look up faction via KNS_Faction
4. Present MK profile with party affiliation and positions held Result: MK profile with political background. Note: per-MK voting data is not available via the public OData API.

Example 2: Bill Tracking

User says: "What happened to the bill about [topic]?" Actions:

1. Search KNS_Bill with keyword
2. Get bill status and current stage
3. Find sponsors via KNS_BillInitiator
4. Check committee assignments and readings Result: Bill status with full legislative history.

Example 3: Election Analysis

User says: "Show me election results for Haifa in the last election" Actions:

1. Access Central Elections Committee data for 25th Knesset
2. Filter by Haifa ballot locations
3. Aggregate results by party
4. Compare to national results Result: Haifa-specific election breakdown with party results.

Scripts

• scripts/query_knesset.py — Query the Knesset OData API to list MKs by Knesset session, search MKs by name, retrieve plenum voting records with for/against/abstain breakdowns, search legislative bills by keyword, and list political factions. Supports subcommands: mks, search-mk, votes, vote-detail, bills, factions. Run: python scripts/query_knesset.py --help

References

• references/knesset-api-entities.md — Complete entity reference for the Knesset OData API including field names for KNS_Person, KNS_Bill, KNS_Faction, and other entities, plus OData v3 filter syntax and position ID codes (43=MK male, 61=MK female, 45=Prime Minister, 39=Minister male, 57=Minister female). Note: vote data is not available via the public OData API. Consult when constructing OData queries.

Error: "OData query syntax error"

Cause: Incorrect OData v3 filter syntax Solution: Use eq for equals, and/or for logic, substringof('text', Field) for text search. Ensure string values are in single quotes.

Error: "Data returned in Hebrew"

Cause: Knesset data is primarily in Hebrew Solution: Field names are in English (camelCase), but values (names, bill text, etc.) are in Hebrew. Use translation or maintain Hebrew for accuracy.

Error: "Entity not found"

Cause: Entity name is case-sensitive Solution: Use exact entity names as documented: KNS_Person, KNS_Bill, etc. All start with "KNS_" prefix. Query the service root for available entities.