Public Committee (Hebrew: ועדה ציבורית) is a committee appointed by the Israeli Cabinet, or by other various governmental bodies in Israel, and at times with the cooperation of other Israeli public bodies, in order to thoroughly and unbiasedly explore a matter on the public agenda.
Public Committees are appointed for the following reasons:
In order to establish a Public Committee, it is granted a letter of appointment by the responsible minister, in which it details the followings:
When establishing such a committee, it is granted a descriptive name, that reflects its goal, however, usually become known by its chairman's name, such as Shamgar Commission, and most recent Turkel Commission.
Along with the completion of its work, the committee issues a comprehensive report, summarizing its findings and recommendations. The timetables are not always met, and at times the committee produces an interim report. Usually, the reports are available for public review, and its main issue points also appear on television (along with the Internet's evolvement, many times it is published there as well). At times, when national security is at stake, the report is being divided into two parts: unconcealed public part, published to the public in the known media outlets, and an undisclosed part, handed only to the authorized figures. The recommendations of the committees may or may not be binding, pending the specific committee appointed under the law. However, in any case, any public committee's recommendations is under the public's review, and thus the figures or bodies under its review may need to provide a good reason not fulfill its recommendations.
There are four types of committees appointed by law:
Most of the Public Committees are established for a specific goal, and after completing its work, it is being invalidated. At times, a Public Committee is being established for a long term objective, or parcticlly for regular basis activities, such as: