Knesset Legislative Tracker

Step 1: Identify the Legislative Query

Ask the user what they want to track:

Query Type	OData Entity	Hebrew Term
Bill search	KNS_Bill	Hatza'at Chok / הצעת חוק
Bill status	KNS_Bill (by BillID)	Matsav Hatza'a / מצב הצעה
Committee sessions	KNS_Committee	Vaada / ועדה
MK information	KNS_Person	Chaver Knesset / חבר כנסת
Votes	N/A (not available via public OData API)	Hatzbaa / הצבעה
Knesset sessions	KNS_PlenumSession	Moshav Meli'a / מושב מליאה

Clarify:

• What topic? (specific bill, policy area, MK activity)
• What Knesset term? (current or specific historical term from 18th onward)
• What output? (status update, vote breakdown, timeline, trend analysis)

Step 2: Query the Knesset Open Data API

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

The Knesset provides an OData v3 API:

Search bills by keyword:

GET https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_Bill?$filter=substringof('KEYWORD',Name)&$top=20&$format=json

Get bill details:

GET https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_Bill(BILL_ID)?$format=json

List committees:

GET https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_Committee?$filter=KnessetNum eq 25&$format=json

Get MK information:

GET https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_Person(PERSON_ID)?$format=json

Filter by date range:

GET https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_Bill?$filter=LastUpdatedDate ge datetime'2024-01-01T00:00:00'&$format=json

Note: The OData API returns XML by default. Always append $format=json to get JSON responses.

Note: Vote data (per-MK voting records) is not available through the public OData API.

Tips:

• Use OData $filter, $select, $top, $skip, $orderby for queries
• Bill names are in Hebrew -- search with Hebrew keywords
• Use substringof('text', Field) for text search (OData v3 syntax)
• Pagination: use $top and $skip for large result sets

Step 3: Track Bill Progress Through Readings

Israeli legislation follows a defined process:

Note: The API uses numeric StatusID values rather than named statuses. Key StatusID values include codes for preparation, committee, readings, approval, and rejection. Check the KNS_BillStatus entity or the StatusID field on bills for the actual numeric codes.

Stage	Hebrew	Description
Proposal	הצעה	Initial bill text submitted
Pre-vote	הצבעה מוקדמת	Preliminary Knesset vote
Committee	ועדה	Committee review and amendments
First reading	קריאה ראשונה	Full Knesset vote on principles
Committee prep	הכנה לקריאה שנייה	Final committee amendments
Second and third reading	קריאה שנייה ושלישית	Final vote, becomes law
Passed	אושר	Enacted as law
Rejected	נדחה	Bill defeated

Track a specific bill through stages:

import requests

bill_id = 12345
url = f"https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_Bill({bill_id})?$format=json"
response = requests.get(url)
bill = response.json().get("d", {})

print(f"Bill: {bill.get('Name')}")
print(f"StatusID: {bill.get('StatusID')}")
print(f"Last updated: {bill.get('LastUpdatedDate')}")
print(f"SubTypeDesc: {bill.get('SubTypeDesc')}")

Step 4: Monitor Committee Activity

Knesset committees (vaadot) handle detailed legislative review:

Committee	Hebrew	Key Topics
Finance	ועדת הכספים	Budget, taxes, banking
Constitution, Law and Justice	ועדת חוקה, חוק ומשפט	Basic laws, civil rights, courts
Science and Technology	ועדת המדע והטכנולוגיה	Tech regulation, innovation, cyber
Economics	ועדת הכלכלה	Business regulation, competition
Labor and Welfare	ועדת העבודה והרווחה	Employment law, social benefits
Education	ועדת החינוך	Schools, higher education
Internal Affairs	ועדת הפנים	Local government, planning

Query committees:

GET https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_Committee?$filter=KnessetNum eq 25&$orderby=Name&$top=10&$format=json

Step 5: Analyze MK Voting Records

Look up MK activity and voting patterns:

Get MK list for current Knesset (25th):

GET https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_PersonToPosition?$filter=KnessetNum eq 25 and (PositionID eq 43 or PositionID eq 61)&$top=120&$format=json

Get specific MK details:

GET https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_Person(PERSON_ID)?$format=json

Analyze voting patterns:

1. Retrieve vote list for a bill or session
2. Cross-reference with party affiliation
3. Identify coalition vs. opposition voting patterns
4. Track absence rates and abstentions

Party (Siya) affiliations:

Party	Hebrew	Coalition/Opposition
Likud	ליכוד	Changes per term
Yesh Atid	יש עתיד	Changes per term
Shas	ש"ס	Changes per term
United Torah Judaism	יהדות התורה	Changes per term
National Unity	האחדות הלאומית	Changes per term

Step 6: Tech-Sector Legislation Alerts

Monitor legislation relevant to the tech industry:

Key search terms for tech legislation:

Topic	Hebrew Keywords	English Keywords
Privacy/Data protection	הגנת פרטיות, מידע אישי	privacy, personal data
Cybersecurity	סייבר, אבטחת מידע	cyber, information security
AI regulation	בינה מלאכותית, AI	artificial intelligence
Labor/remote work	עבודה מרחוק, דיני עבודה	remote work, labor law
Intellectual property	קניין רוחני, פטנטים	IP, patents
Tax incentives	הטבות מס, אנגל	tax benefits, angel law
Fintech	פינטק, שירותים פיננסיים	fintech, financial services

Example: find recent tech-related bills:

import requests

keywords = ["סייבר", "פרטיות", "בינה מלאכותית", "טכנולוגיה"]
for kw in keywords:
    url = "https://knesset.gov.il/Odata/ParliamentInfo.svc/KNS_Bill"
    params = {"$filter": f"substringof('{kw}',Name)", "$top": 5, "$orderby": "LastUpdatedDate desc", "$format": "json"}
    resp = requests.get(url, params=params)
    bills = resp.json().get("d", {}).get("results", [])
    for bill in bills:
        print(f"[StatusID: {bill['StatusID']}] {bill['Name']}")

Step 7: Present Findings

Format results for the user:

1. Bill summary: name, proposer(s), current status, next expected action
2. Timeline: key dates from proposal through current stage
3. Vote breakdown: for/against/abstain counts with party breakdown
4. Committee notes: relevant discussion points and amendments
5. Impact assessment: brief analysis of what the bill means for the user's domain

Example 1: Track a Specific Bill

User says: "What's the status of the privacy protection bill?" Actions:

1. Search bills: $filter=contains(Name,'הגנת פרטיות')
2. Get latest matching bill details
3. Check current stage (committee, reading, etc.)
4. List proposing MKs and party affiliation Result: Bill status with timeline and next expected action

Example 2: MK Voting Record Analysis

User says: "How did MK X vote on tech-related bills this session?" Actions:

1. Find MK by name in members API
2. Retrieve voting record for current Knesset term
3. Filter votes on tech-related bills (cyber, privacy, AI keywords)
4. Calculate voting pattern statistics Result: Summary table of votes with for/against breakdown

Example 3: Committee Session Monitoring

User says: "What did the Science and Technology committee discuss last month?" Actions:

1. Query committees API filtered by Science and Technology
2. Filter sessions by date range (last 30 days)
3. Retrieve session agendas and discussed bills
4. Summarize key topics and decisions Result: List of sessions with agenda items and outcomes

Example 4: Tech Legislation Alert

User says: "Are there any new bills about AI regulation?" Actions:

1. Search bills with keywords: "בינה מלאכותית", "AI", "אלגוריתם"
2. Filter by recent proposals (last 90 days)
3. Check status of each matching bill
4. Identify committee assignments and upcoming votes Result: List of active AI-related bills with status and proposers

Scripts

• scripts/fetch_knesset.py -- Query the Knesset Open Data API for bills, votes, MK information, and committee sessions. Supports subcommands: bills, bill, members, committees, votes, tech-alerts. Run: python scripts/fetch_knesset.py --help

References

• references/knesset-api.md -- Complete endpoint documentation for the Knesset Open Data API including OData query syntax, entity types, status codes, and common query patterns. Consult when constructing API calls.

Error: "No results returned"

Cause: Search terms may not match Hebrew bill names exactly Solution: Try broader Hebrew keywords. Bill names use formal legal Hebrew which may differ from colloquial terms.

Error: "API rate limit exceeded"

Cause: Too many requests in a short period Solution: Add 1-second delays between API calls. Use $top and $skip for pagination instead of fetching all records.

Error: "Member not found"

Cause: MK name spelling may vary between Hebrew and transliteration Solution: Search by partial name or use the members list endpoint to find the correct ID first.

Error: "Vote data unavailable"

Cause: Not all votes have detailed per-MK breakdowns in the API Solution: Check the Knesset website directly for the specific plenum session vote record.