Definition: The Knesset -- the 120-seat Israeli legislature, located in western Jerusalem -- first convened on Valentine's Day, 1949. Knesset literally means "assembly." The "annual sitting" consists of the Winter Session, which typically opens after the summer recess at the end of the High Holidays, and the Summer Session, which opens after the Passover break. Hierarchy positions in the Knesset are the speaker, secretary general, and director general.
Pronunciation: The "k" is hard, not silent.
