This study offers the first comprehensive analysis of governmental structure and authority in Israel. Well known as a centralized state, Israel traces the roots of this conception of authority to the political culture the Jewish people have carried with them since the beginning of their history and the European concepts of state sovereignty drawn from Israel's founders. It shares with other new societies a conception of government as a contractual or covenantal relationship among individuals and groups. In recent times, internal problems such as the shock surrounding the Yom Kippur War of 1973 have weakened old norms and lessened the general degree of trust in the state's institutions. Local Government in Israel provides a detailed analysis of the foundations of local government in Israel and the recent restructuring that has led to greater autonomy of local governments.