The Council for Higher Education (CHE) was established in accordance with the Council for Higher Education Law 5718-1958, as the State institution in Israel responsible for higher education. The goal was to establish a public, apolitical, independent and professional body to stand between the Government and the institutions of higher education and to deal with all issues connected with higher education in Israel, including setting policy in fundamental issues while ensuring the independence of the higher education system, the development and preservation of its quality, and at the same time recognizing the diverse characteristics of the institutions of higher education and of the student population in Israel. The composition of the CHE, as set out in law, reflects the purpose of the CHE, with at least two thirds of the Council’s members “persons of standing in the field of higher education” from a variety of institutions of higher education, and the remaining members representing students and the public.