Open Records Laws › Israel

Israel

חוק חופש המידע

חוק חופש המידע, תשנ"ח-1998 (Freedom of Information Law, 5758-1998)

RTI Rating: 80 (source)

Response Timeline

Initial Response
30 days
Extension
60 days
Residency Required
Citizen_or_resident

30 days from receipt of request (calendar days). May be extended by up to 30 additional days with written notification to requester. A second extension of up to 60 additional days is permitted for requests involving significant complexity or extent, also requiring written notification. Maximum total time: 120 days (30 + 30 + 60). If no response within the deadline, the request is deemed refused and the applicant may appeal.

How to Submit a Request

Accepted Methods

  • {'notes': 'By mail to the responsible person at the public body', 'method': 'written'}
  • {'notes': 'By email or fax to the responsible person', 'method': 'electronic'}

Requests must be submitted in writing (letter, email, or fax) to the person responsible for freedom of information at the relevant public authority. The applicant is NOT required to state the reason for the request. Requests need only provide details sufficient for identifying and delivering the information (delivery address). No ID number, phone number, or residential address is required. Applicants need not cite the Freedom of Information Law.

Required Elements

  • Name of applicant
  • Delivery address for response
  • Description of information sought (sufficient for identification)

Fees

Fees are set by the Minister of Justice through secondary regulations under Section 18(1). Specific amounts vary by type of information and requester category. Fees cover both the request itself and the labor involved in locating requested information.

Fee Waivers

  • Requesters receiving income support pension, disability pension, or other social welfare payments qualify for fee waivers plus four additional hours of production and examination time (Section 6(c) of Regulations)

Exemptions

  • Unreasonable resource allocation
    Information that would require unreasonable allocation of resources to produce
  • Old information difficult to locate
    Information more than 7 years old that is difficult to locate
  • Disruption to authority function
    Information that would disrupt the normal functioning of the authority
  • Policy formation discussions
    Information relating to discussions in the process of policy formation
  • External negotiations
    Information relating to negotiations with outside parties
  • Internal deliberations and advice
    Internal deliberations and advice within the authority
  • Internal management
    Non-public internal management information
  • Commercial/professional confidentiality
    Confidential commercial or professional information (with exceptions for environmental disclosure)
  • Confidential sources
    Information obtained from confidential sources
  • Law enforcement methods
    Information about law enforcement methods and techniques
  • Employee disciplinary matters
    Information relating to employee disciplinary proceedings
  • Deceased person privacy
    Information that would violate the privacy of deceased persons
  • Prohibited by other laws
    Information that is prohibited from disclosure by other statutes

Most exemptions under Sections 8-9 are discretionary harm-based tests. Section 10 includes an advisory public interest consideration for health, security, or environmental matters, but this is weaker than a mandatory public interest override test. Only information prohibited by other statutes is an absolute (mandatory) exemption.

Appeal Process

1

1

2

2

3

3

Israel lacks an independent information commissioner or administrative oversight body, earning 0/2 points on RTI Rating for external administrative appeals. The system relies entirely on judicial review, requiring court filing fees (~₪420) and often legal representation. Courts have strong review powers including examining classified documents and applying public interest override. Attorney fees may be awarded to prevailing parties under Israel's general "loser pays" system, but recovery is typically 20-50% of actual costs and subject to judicial discretion.

Sources & References