Website accessibility under Israeli law: what a business must do and what happens when you ignore it
Website accessibility is a legal obligation for most businesses in Israel. The Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities regulations require a business website to meet Israeli Standard 5568 at level AA. A full exemption exists only for an exempt dealer, the small business VAT status known in Israel as osek patur, or for a business with an average annual turnover of up to 100,000 shekels. Ignoring it exposes you to a lawsuit of up to 50,000 shekels without proof of damage. In this article we explain what is actually required, who is really exempt, and what to do with a warning letter.
Where the obligation to make a website accessible comes from
The basis is the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities (Service Accessibility Adjustments) Regulations from 2013, enacted under the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Law from 1998. Originally, internet services were covered by a single regulation numbered 35, so everyone still calls it Regulation 35. An amendment published in 2017 replaced that arrangement with a whole chapter of regulations, from 35A to 35F, and when a vendor or consultant says Regulation 35 they mean this chapter.
The core requirement sits in Regulation 35A(a). A business that provides a service online must provide accessibility adjustments according to the web accessibility standard at level AA. The regulations define the web accessibility standard as Israeli Standard 5568, with its parts and appendices as amended from time to time. Part 1 of the standard is an adoption of the international WCAG 2.0 guidelines. In plain words, Israeli law points to an Israeli standard that adopts the international rules for making web content accessible.
The obligation for websites took effect on 26 October 2017, after a one year postponement. It also has a tail of documents. A file like a PDF prepared from that date onward must be accessible. A form for entering details to receive a service must be accessible even if it was prepared earlier. A document with personal information that sits behind a login must be made accessible if it was prepared from 1 January 2022 onward.
Who is really exempt under the current wording
This is where the biggest confusion online lives. Many accessibility vendor websites still write that a business with turnover up to 300,000 shekels is exempt. That is no longer true. That exemption was set in Regulation 35F(h) as a temporary provision, and it expired on 26 October 2020. Since then, a business with turnover between 100,000 and 300,000 shekels must comply like any other business.
The only full exemption that exists today is in Regulation 35F(g). An exempt dealer, or a business whose average annual turnover does not exceed 100,000 shekels, is exempt from the website accessibility adjustments. Average turnover under the regulations is the average of the turnovers in the last three tax years in which turnover was not zero.
There is also an important relief for a mid-sized business. Regulation 35F(i) exempts a business with average turnover up to one million shekels from making accessible a website that started operating before the regulations took effect. Pay attention to the wording. The relief applies only to the old website. A new website that goes live today must be accessible even if turnover is below a million. An additional condition is that the ways to contact the business are published accessibly, and the exemption is valid for three years with an option to renew.
Alongside these there are point exemptions. A technological exemption when a certified accessibility expert determines, based on a professional opinion, that the platform does not allow a specific adjustment. It is valid for up to three years and requires alternative accessibility and publication in the accessibility statement. An exemption for an adjustment that a social network does not allow, and an exemption for a closed service for pre-registered users with up to 500 registered participants at a time, unless a person with a disability has requested accessibility.
| Business situation | What the law says | Source in the regulations |
|---|---|---|
| Exempt dealer or average annual turnover up to 100,000 shekels | Full exemption from website accessibility | Regulation 35F(g) |
| Turnover between 100,000 and 300,000 shekels | Must comply. The exemption for this group expired on 26 October 2020 | Regulation 35F(h) |
| Turnover up to one million shekels with a website that operated before the regulations took effect | Relief for the old website only, on condition that contact details are published accessibly. Valid for three years and renewable | Regulation 35F(i) |
| Any other business | Must comply with Israeli Standard 5568 at level AA | Regulation 35A(a) |
| A public authority or a business with average turnover above 5 million shekels | Also required to add captions to recorded video | Regulation 35D |
What an accessible website actually includes
Level AA of the standard is a long list of requirements, but most of them can be summed up in a few principles that live inside the code of the website itself.
- Alternative text for images. Someone browsing with a screen reader hears a spoken description of every image that carries information
- Full keyboard navigation. Every menu, button and form works without a mouse
- Sufficient color contrast between text and background, so people with partial vision can read comfortably
- Accessible forms. Every field has a clear label, and error messages are explained in words
- A logical heading structure that lets a screen reader jump between parts of the page
- Captions and transcripts for recorded content. The captioning obligation for recorded video applies to a public authority or a business with turnover above 5 million shekels
User content and apps
The regulations also cover what you did not write. A business is not responsible for making content that users upload to its website accessible, but under Regulation 35B it must provide an accessible infrastructure, such as a field for describing images. Under Regulation 35C an app must meet the standard criteria on at least two common operating systems, unless the business has an accessible mobile-friendly website with a link to it from inside the app.
An accessibility statement is an obligation in its own right
Even a superbly accessible website does not comply with the regulations without an accessibility statement. Regulation 35E requires displaying, in a prominent place on the website, a statement that includes information about the accessibility adjustments that were made, the details of the accessibility coordinator and how to reach them if the business is required to appoint one, and contact details for anyone who runs into a problem or requests accessibility. A business that received an exemption must publish in the statement the fact of the exemption and the alternative adjustments it provides.
The statement is not a generic legal text you copy from another website. It should reflect what was actually done on your website. This is what our accessibility statement looks like, written in plain language and detailing exactly which adjustments exist on this website and who to contact if something does not work.
What happens when you ignore it
Breaching the accessibility provisions is a civil wrong under Section 19NA of the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Law. The court may award compensation of up to 50,000 shekels without the plaintiff having to prove damage. The amount is linked to the consumer price index, so in practice it is higher than the number written in the law. The Israel Internet Association estimated it at about 62,000 shekels as of its publication date. According to the Kol Zchut website, the person with the disability, the Equal Rights Commission and disability rights organizations may all sue. Alongside the civil route there are also criminal and administrative fines.
This is not a theoretical risk. The financial press documented, in early 2024, a wave of serial accessibility lawsuits against small businesses. The reports described businesses that had to choose between fighting a case at a cost of tens of thousands of shekels and settling for a few thousand, and also criticism from the courts about the phenomenon itself. Let us say it honestly. Most businesses will not be sued tomorrow morning. But an inaccessible website is an open legal exposure that can be closed with orderly work.
You received a warning letter. You have a window to fix things
This is the part almost nobody tells businesses, and it is the most practical one. Regulation 35A(d)(1) states that a deviation from the accessibility requirements will not count as a breach unless the business was sent a notice demanding a fix and did not fix it within a reasonable time, and no later than 60 days from receiving the notice. In other words, a warning letter is not the end of the road. It opens a window. Fix things within the window and the matter is closed.
Even a business that has already been sued is not without defenses. Section 19NA of the law lists situations where compensation without proof of damage will not be awarded. Among them, when a previous lawsuit on the same matter was filed against the business and the business is working on a fix. The law adds that when setting compensation the court may consider the number of lawsuits filed against the defendant and the scope of its activity. These provisions were written precisely because of the serial lawsuit phenomenon. So do not panic and do not rush to pay a settlement without checking. Check what is actually missing, fix it within the window, document everything, and if you are sued, consult a lawyer.
Why a widget alone is not accessibility
The most common offer made to a stressed business is to stick an accessibility widget on the website. A floating toolbar that enlarges fonts, changes contrast and shows a statement. In our professional assessment that is not enough, and the reasoning sits in the language of the regulations themselves. Regulation 35A(a) requires meeting the guidelines of the standard at level AA. Alternative text for images, keyboard navigation, accessible forms and heading structure are requirements that live in the content code of the website. A floating toolbar does not add a description to an image that has none, and it does not fix a form that was built without labels. On top of that, Regulation 35E requires the statement to reflect adjustments that were actually made. An automatic statement on a website that was not made accessible is a problem in its own right.
Even within the accessibility industry itself it has been written more than once that an automatic component alone does not bring a website into compliance with the standard. A widget can be a convenient addition on top of a website that was built accessible. A replacement it is not.
How we build accessibility in from day one
The cheapest and safest way to meet the regulations is not to retrofit an existing website but to build it accessible from the start. That is how we work. The structure of every page is written in semantic code with a correct heading hierarchy. Alternative text for images is part of preparing the content, not a fix after the fact. The brand colors are checked for contrast at the design stage. Every form is built with labels and clear error messages, and every page goes through a keyboard navigation check before going live. The accessibility statement is written together with the website and reflects what actually exists in it.
When accessibility is built in, it adds almost nothing to the cost of the project. When you try to bolt it onto an existing website, it turns into a renovation project. We wrote about website costs in how much a website costs, and about the advantage of full control over the code in exactly these situations in WordPress or custom code. If you are launching a new website or checking an existing one, this is part of our service on the website building page.
Sources and verification
Every legal fact in this article was checked against an official source and an additional independent source before publication. The law and the regulations change, so before making decisions it is worth checking the current wording. This article is not legal advice.
- The consolidated text of the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities (Service Accessibility Adjustments) Regulations from 2013 on Wikitext, as updated in May 2025. Regulations 35A to 35F, including the exemptions and the effective dates
- The Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Law from 1998, Section 19NA. Compensation of up to 50,000 shekels without proof of damage, index linkage, and the defenses available to a defendant
- The Nevo legislation database. Cross-checking the text of the regulations
- The Kol Zchut website. A summary of the accessibility requirements, who may sue, and the additional sanctions
- The Israel Internet Association. The legal aspects of website accessibility, including the estimate of the index-linked compensation amount
- Articles in the financial press from January 2024 on the wave of serial accessibility lawsuits against small businesses (TheMarker, Globes, ynet)
This is exactly what we do at Website building. If you want us to go over it together for your business, write to us.
Frequently asked questions
Almost every one. A full exemption exists only for an exempt dealer or a business with an average annual turnover of up to 100,000 shekels. Everyone else must comply with Israeli Standard 5568 at level AA. The assumption that every small business is exempt is a common mistake.
Not necessarily. The exemption for businesses with turnover up to 300,000 shekels was a temporary provision that expired on 26 October 2020. Today a full exemption exists only for an exempt dealer or an average turnover of up to 100,000 shekels. Some vendor websites still present the old exemption as if it were valid.
A page on the website that details which accessibility adjustments were made, who to contact when something is not accessible, and the details of the accessibility coordinator if the business is required to appoint one. Regulation 35E requires displaying it in a prominent place. A business that received an exemption must also publish in the statement the fact of the exemption and the alternative adjustments.
Do not panic and do not rush to pay. Under Regulation 35A(d)(1) a deviation from the requirements does not count as a breach if you fixed it within a reasonable time and no later than 60 days from receiving the notice. Check what is actually missing on the website, fix it within the window, and document everything. If you are sued, consult a lawyer.
In our professional assessment, no. The regulations require meeting all the requirements of the standard at level AA, including alternative text for images, keyboard navigation and accessible forms. These requirements live in the code of the website itself, and a floating font-size toolbar does not add them. A widget can complement a website that was built accessible, but it cannot replace it.
The law sets compensation of up to 50,000 shekels without proof of damage. The amount is linked to the consumer price index, so in practice it is higher. When setting compensation the court may consider, among other things, the number of lawsuits filed against the defendant and the scope of its activity.
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