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עמוד:14
The Government Israel is the only real democracy in the Middle East . The prime minister , the head of the government , is elected by the Israeli citizenship . Every citizen 18 and over has the right to vote . The Israeli parliament is called the Knesset . Its 120 seats are filled by representatives from more than a dozen political parties . The number of representatives from each party is determined by the number of votes each party receives in the national elections . The president of Israel is elected by the Knesset . Unlike in the United States , where the president is the leader of the government , the role of Israel’s president is largely ceremonial . For example , Israel’s president may represent the Jewish state at the funeral of an international leader . However , the president does not negotiate treaties with other countries . Yom Ha’atzma’ut , Israel’s Independence Day , is celebrated on the fifth day of the Jewish month of Iyar . ( Iyar usually falls in April or May . ) Every year , Israelis celebrate Yom Ha’atzma’ut with parades and picnics . The day before , Yom Hazikaron , Memorial Day , is observed in memory of the soldiers who died defending Israel and the citizens who were killed in terrorist attacks . On the morning of Yom Hazikaron , sirens blow all across the country , followed by two minutes of complete silence . Throughout Israel , everything stops—talk , traffic , machinery , all activity—as Israelis remember that they owe their freedom to the courage of those whose lives were sacrificed . When evening comes and the first stars appear , a long siren blast is heard . Yom Hazikaron is over , and Yom Ha’atzma’ut begins . Why do you think these holidays are observed one day after the other ?
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