Civic Service Law, 5777-2017
חוק שירות אזרחי, תשע"ז-2017
Published: 2017-04-05Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2025-08-06 · Last amended 2025-08-05✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-17
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More
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The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.
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Chapter IV: The Civic Service Authority
Section A: Establishment of the Authority and Its Functions
The Civic Service Authority§
21.
(a)There is hereby established, within the Ministry, the Civic Service Authority.
(b)The Authority shall act in accordance with the decisions of the Minister and the policy of the Government, all in accordance with the provisions of this Law.
Director of the Authority and Its Employees§
22.
(a)The Government shall appoint, upon the proposal of the Minister, a Director General for the Authority, who shall be responsible for the performance of the Authority's functions.
(b)The Director shall be a State employee and shall be directly subordinate to the Minister.
(c)The employees of the Authority shall act in accordance with the Director's instructions and under the Director's supervision.
Functions and Powers of the Authority§
23.
The following are the functions of the Authority:
(1)to regulate the distribution of resources, including to allocate civic service posts, in accordance with national order of priorities in the field of civic service, as shall be determined from time to time by the Government, in accordance with the provisions of section 24;
(2)to formulate proposals for multi-year development plans and for annual activity plans, to transmit them to the Council and to act in accordance with the approved plans, all in accordance with the provisions of sections 25 and 26;
(3)to carry out monitoring and supervision of activity in the field of civic service and of recognised bodies, operating bodies and volunteers;
(4)to supervise the provision of conditions of service and rights to volunteers during civic service, and to assist in the realisation of conditions of service and rights due to volunteers upon completion of service;
(5)to initiate actions required for the purpose of deepening public knowledge of civic service and encouraging joining civic service;
(6)to submit to the Minister opinions regarding the recognition of recognised bodies and the extension of its validity, the revocation of recognition, the suspension of recognition and the setting of additional conditions for recognition, in accordance with sections 48(b), 49 and 52;
(7)to process applications submitted by a person wishing to become an operating body or by an operating body;
(8)to guide recognised bodies and operating bodies regarding the performance of their functions under this Law, including with respect to the training and professional guidance required for volunteers from various population groups, and to supervise the performance of such functions;
(9)to formulate plans for the operation of volunteers in emergency situations, subject to any law, and to be responsible for their implementation, all in coordination with the relevant parties and subject to the provisions under section 20;
(10)to formulate proposals for criteria, benchmarks and rules for the approval or restriction of posts for the operation of volunteers in operating bodies that are not public authorities, and proposals for the setting of a different tariff with respect to such bodies under section 10, having regard, inter alia, to the national order of priorities determined by the Government from time to time under the provisions of section 24, and to submit them to the Council;
(11)to carry out any other action with respect to civic service imposed on it under any law or imposed on it by the Government or the Minister.
National Order of Priorities§
24.
(a)At least once every five years, the Authority shall transmit to the Council a proposal for the determination of the national order of priorities in the field of civic service and for the distribution of resources accordingly.
(b)The Council shall hold a discussion on the proposal under subsection (a) and shall transmit its recommendations to the Minister.
(c)The Minister shall submit to the Government for approval the Minister's proposal for the determination of the national order of priorities in the field of civic service, having regard to the Council's recommendations under subsection (b).
(d)The Government shall hold a discussion on the Minister's proposal under subsection (c) and shall determine, at least once every five years, the national order of priorities in the field of civic service, and the distribution of resources accordingly.
(e)In this section, "national order of priorities" – including the integration of volunteers from various population groups in national service and in community volunteering, including volunteers who are persons with disabilities or at-risk youth, the rate designated for service posts allocated by the Government to volunteers from such population groups, quotas for the allocation of posts for the operation of volunteers in the various fields of service, and preferred fields and areas for service.
Multi-Year Development Plans§
25.
(a)The Authority shall formulate and transmit to the Council a proposal for a multi-year development plan for a period of at most four years (hereinafter – multi-year development plan); the Council shall hold a discussion on the proposal and shall transmit to the Minister for approval the plan together with its recommendations.
(b)The multi-year development plan shall determine a maximum number of recognised bodies and a maximum quota of volunteers that a recognised body may refer to national service and to community volunteering, insofar as this is required for the purpose of ensuring proper supervision over the performance of service and increasing the range of service options, and the number of bodies may vary in accordance with the number of volunteers.
(c)Where the Minister has approved the multi-year development plan, the Authority shall act to adapt its annual activity plans under section 26 to that plan.
Annual Activity Plan of the Authority§
26.
(a)The Authority shall formulate and transmit to the Council, by 1 July each year, its annual activity plan for the coming year (in this Law – annual activity plan).
(b)The Council shall hold a discussion on the annual activity plan and shall transmit to the Minister for approval the plan together with its recommendations, by 1 August each year.
(c)The Minister's decision regarding approval of the annual activity plan shall be given by 1 September each year; where the Minister has approved the annual activity plan, the Authority shall act in accordance with it.
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Contact Us →Section B: Objection Committee
Appeal before an Objection Committee§
27.
(a)A volunteer who considers himself aggrieved by a decision of a recognised body or an operating body concerning admission to service, non-admission to service or termination of service, may appeal against it before an Objection Committee, whose members are the Director or a senior employee of the Authority whom the Director has authorised for that purpose, the legal adviser of the Authority and a member of the Council whom the Minister shall select from among the public representatives on the Council; at least one woman shall serve on the Objection Committee.
(b)In its decision on an appeal under this Section, the Objection Committee shall take into account, among other things, considerations relating to the suitability of the volunteer for service, including his conduct and his medical condition; if the operating body was authorised to take into account the criminal record of the volunteer, the Objection Committee may also take into account the suitability of the volunteer for service in light of his criminal record.
(c)The Objection Committee shall not make a decision under subsection (a) except after it has given the volunteer, the recognised body and the operating body concerned an opportunity to present their arguments.
(d)The Minister may prescribe provisions regarding this Section, including restrictions on the exercise of the powers of the Objection Committee under this Section.
(e)In this Section, "volunteer" – includes a candidate for national service or community volunteering.
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Contact Us →Section C: Public Enquiries Commissioner
Public Enquiries Commissioner§
28.
(a)The Director shall appoint a Public Enquiries Commissioner (in this Section – the Commissioner); the Commissioner shall examine public enquiries, including enquiries from recipients of services from operating bodies regarding the service and enquiries from volunteers concerning the performance of the service and concerning the violation of provisions under this Law, except a matter in respect of which an appeal may be submitted under this Law.
(b)The Commissioner shall be an employee of the Authority.
(c)If the Commissioner finds that a public enquiry was justified, he shall notify the enquirer, the recognised body, the operating body and the volunteer concerned thereof; the Commissioner shall set out in his notification the findings of the examination and shall recommend ways of correcting the deficiencies he has found.
(d)If the Commissioner finds that a public enquiry was not justified or that it does not warrant examination, he shall notify the enquirer thereof.
(e)The Minister may prescribe provisions regarding the manner of submitting an enquiry to the Commissioner, the manner of examining enquiries and the time limits for their examination.
(f)The decisions of the Commissioner in examining public enquiries and the findings of the examination shall not confer upon the enquirer or upon any other person a right or remedy before a court or tribunal that they did not have prior thereto, and shall not prevent the enquirer or any other person from exercising another right or seeking another remedy to which they are entitled; however, if a time limit has been set therefor in legislation, that time limit shall not be extended by the submission of an enquiry to the Commissioner or by its examination.
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Contact Us →Section D: Supervisory Powers
Authorisation of Inspectors§
29.
(a)The Minister may authorise, from among the employees of the Authority, inspectors who shall be vested with the powers under this Law, all or some of them.
(b)The Minister, after consulting with the Minister of Labour, Welfare and Social Services, may authorise, from among the employees of the Ministry of Labour, Welfare and Social Services, inspectors who shall be vested with the powers under this Law, all or some of them, for the purpose of supervision in the affairs of volunteers who are persons with disabilities or at-risk youth.
(c)An inspector shall not be authorised under this Section unless all of the following conditions are fulfilled with respect to him:
(1)he has not been convicted of an offence which, by reason of its nature, severity or circumstances, renders him unfit, in the Minister's opinion, to serve as an inspector;
(2)he has received appropriate training in the area of the powers that will be vested in him under this Law, as the Minister has directed;
(3)he meets additional eligibility requirements, as the Minister has directed.
(d)The names of the inspectors authorised under this Section shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette) and on the website of the Authority.
Supervisory Powers§
30.
(a)For the purpose of supervising compliance with the provisions under this Law, including regarding the nature and quality of the service, an inspector may, after having identified himself –
(1)require an office holder or employee in a recognised body or in an operating body, and a volunteer, to provide him with any information or document required for the performance of his function; in this Section, "document" – includes a printout, as defined in the Computers Law, 5755-1995;
(2)enter the offices of any recognised body or operating body and places where he has reasonable grounds to believe that volunteers are being operated; however, if the said offices or places serve as a residence, the inspector shall not enter them except at a reasonable time coordinated with the manager of the place, and in the absence of such a manager – with the tenant at the place, or pursuant to an order of a court;
(3)enter any service apartment in order to examine the suitability of the apartment to the rules prescribed regarding the residence of volunteers, at a reasonable time coordinated in advance with a volunteer residing in the apartment and after giving notice to an employee of the recognised body or the operating body holding the apartment.
(b)Information shall not be provided under this Section if its provision is prohibited under any law.
(c)Nothing in the provisions of this Section derogates from the provisions of the Privacy Protection Law, 5741-1981.
(d)An inspector shall not exercise the powers vested in him under this Law except in the performance of his function and where both of the following conditions are met:
(1)he visibly wears a tag identifying him and his function;
(2)he holds a certificate signed by the Minister, attesting to his function and his powers, which he shall present upon request.
(e)Nothing in the powers of an inspector under this Section derogates from other supervisory powers vested in inspectors under any law.
Application of Supervisory Powers to the State§
31.
(a)An inspector may exercise his powers under this Law against the State and its institutions.
(b)Notwithstanding subsection (a), an inspector shall exercise his powers against the defence establishment in accordance with the provisions of this Section.
(c)An inspector shall not exercise his powers against the defence establishment unless he has been granted an appropriate security clearance for that purpose and in accordance with the information security rules of a defence body; a defence body shall bring the said information security rules to the attention of the Director.
(d)A senior officer or an authorised officer may delay the immediate entry of an inspector into a facility held by the defence establishment, if he finds that one of the following conditions is met:
(1)his entry at that time would disrupt operational or intelligence activity, a criminal investigation, or a large-scale exercise or training, or one in which combat means are being used;
(2)hostile activity is taking place at the location;
(3)activity is taking place at the facility which the inspector is not permitted to be exposed to for reasons of state security or the foreign relations of the State of Israel.
(e)If an authorised officer or a senior officer has so determined as referred to in subsection (d), he shall notify an employee of the Authority as shall be prescribed in a procedure, and shall set a new date for the entry of the inspector, as early as possible after the reason that prevented his entry has ceased.
(f)The provision of information or a document, in whole or in part, to an inspector shall be in accordance with his security clearance and in accordance with the information security rules of the defence body; however –
(1)an authorised officer may direct that specific information or a document of particular security sensitivity shall not be transferred to the inspector, even if his security clearance is appropriate, but only to an employee of the Authority as shall be prescribed in a procedure;
(2)a defence body shall retain a document required by the inspector for the performance of his function in a place designated for that purpose in the facility held by that body, and it shall be accessible to the inspector or to the employee of the Authority specified as referred to in paragraph (1), as the case may be;
(3)an authorised officer may direct that the inspector shall not remove from a defence facility a specific document in respect of which he has determined that it is of particular security sensitivity, and it shall be retained in the place referred to in paragraph (2).
(g)An authorised officer may direct that classified information not directly related to the grounds for supervision shall not be included in the information or document provided to the inspector, or to the employee of the Authority as referred to in subsection (f)(1), provided that he notifies the inspector or the said employee that he has omitted information.
(h)The Minister, with the consent of the responsible Minister, shall prescribe by procedure the manner of implementing this Section in the defence establishment, having regard to reasons of state security, public order and public safety.
(i)In this Section –
"defence body" – a body from among the bodies listed in the definition of "defence establishment";
"security clearance" – as its meaning in section 15 of the General Security Service Law, 5762-2002;
"defence establishment" – the Ministry of Defence, units and auxiliary units of the Prime Minister's Office whose principal activity is in the field of state security, the Israel Police, the Prison Service and the Witness Protection Authority;
"senior officer" and "authorised officer" – as defined in section 10 of the Environmental Protection Law (Supervisory and Enforcement Powers), 5771-2011, as the case may be;
"responsible Minister" – the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defence, or the Minister of Internal Security, as the case may be.
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