The NSC was established in 1999 by the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following Government Resolution 4889, in the framework of drawing lessons from the Yom Kippur War.
[1] Article 7 of the Government Law of 2001 states that "the Government will have a staff, established by the Prime Minister, to provide professional consulting in the fields of national security; the Prime Minister is authorized to entrust the staff with additional consulting fields."
[2] The NSC formulates alternatives for Israeli policy on the political process and relationships with: The Council has engaged in issues such as the planning of the West Bank barrier and supervision over its implementation, the Gaza disengagement plan, and the agreement with Egypt over the Philadelphi Route.
Its authority is vague and the Prime Minister is not obligated to accept its recommendations, unlike with those of the Attorney General, for example.
The first National Security Advisor and Head of NSC was General (in reserve) David Ivri.