General Security Service Law, 5762-2002
חוק שירות הביטחון הכללי, תשס"ב-2002
Published: 2002-02-21Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2026-08-03 · Last amended 2026-07-28✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-28
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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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Definitions§
1.
In this Law –
"Service employee" – a State employee in the General Security Service;
"Ministers Committee" – a committee of Ministers for the affairs of the General Security Service appointed under section 5;
"Knesset Committee for Service Affairs" – the Sub-Committee on Intelligence and Secret Services of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of the Knesset as referred to in section 6;
"Regulations" – Regulations made by the Prime Minister with the approval of the Ministers Committee and the Knesset Committee for Service Affairs;
"Rules" – written directives prescribed by the Prime Minister with the approval of the Ministers Committee and the Knesset Committee for Service Affairs;
"Service Directives" – written internal guidelines and orders prescribed by the Head of the General Security Service with the approval of the Prime Minister;
"Service Procedures" – written internal procedures prescribed by the Head of the General Security Service.
The General Security Service§
2.
(a)The State of Israel shall maintain a general security service whose purpose, functions and powers shall be prescribed by law; the General Security Service that existed on the eve of the commencement of this Law is the General Security Service of the State of Israel (in this Law – the Service).
(b)The structure of the Service, its units and their functions shall be prescribed in the Service Directives or the Service Procedures, as the case may be.
(c)Notwithstanding the provisions of the State Service (Appointments) Law, 5719-1959, the Prime Minister may, after consulting with the Civil Service Commissioner, prescribe in Regulations or in Rules provisions other than those applicable in the State service, with regard to the organisation and management of human resources in the Service, all subject to the provisions of the Foundations of the Budget Law, 5745-1985, and the provisions of the Annual Budget Law.
Head of the Service§
3.
(a)The Head of the General Security Service (in this Law – the Head of the Service) shall be appointed by the Government upon the proposal of the Prime Minister; notice of the appointment shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette).
(b)The term of office of the Head of the Service shall be five years, unless the Government prescribed a shorter period in the appointment decision; the Government may, in special circumstances, extend the term of office of the Head of the Service for an additional period not exceeding one year.
(c)The Government may terminate the term of office of the Head of the Service before the expiry of his term of office.
(d)A person shall not be appointed Head of the Service, and the Head of the Service shall not continue in office, if he has been convicted of an offence which, by reason of its nature, gravity or circumstances, renders him unfit to be appointed Head of the Service or to continue in office.
(e)The Head of the Service is responsible for the management of the Service, its operation and the development of its capabilities, and shall prescribe in that regard the Service Procedures, and, with the approval of the Prime Minister, the Service Directives.
Subordination of the Service§
4.
(a)The Service is subject to the authority of the Government; the Government shall approve objectives for the Service subject to the provisions of this Law.
(b)The Prime Minister is responsible for the Service on behalf of the Government.
(c)The Service shall operate in a state manner; no mission shall be imposed on the Service for the purpose of advancing partisan-political interests.
(d)The Prime Minister may appoint, from among the members of the Ministers Committee, a deputy, generally or for a period, for the purpose of performing his functions and powers under this Law, in his absence, all or some of them; notice of the appointment shall be given to the Government and to the Knesset Committee for Service Affairs.
Ministers Committee§
5.
(a)The Government shall appoint a committee of Ministers for the affairs of the General Security Service which shall act in its name in matters that it has prescribed.
(b)The Ministers Committee shall comprise five members, and in a rotation government as defined in section 13a of Basic Law: The Government – six members; the Prime Minister shall serve as chairperson of the Committee, and among its members shall be included the Minister of Defence, the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Internal Security.
Knesset Committee for Service Affairs§
6.
(a)The Sub-Committee on Intelligence and Secret Services of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of the Knesset shall serve as the Knesset Committee for Service Affairs for the purposes of this Law.
(b)The sessions of the Knesset Committee for Service Affairs shall be confidential, and publication of matters stated or conveyed therein is prohibited, unless the Committee has decided otherwise, after hearing the position of the Head of the Service.
Purpose and Functions of the Service§
7.
(a)The Service is charged with safeguarding the security of the State, the democratic order and its institutions, against threats of terrorism, sabotage, subversion, espionage and the exposure of State secrets, and the Service shall also act to preserve and promote other vital state interests for the national security of the State, all as the Government shall prescribe and subject to any law.
(b)For the purposes of subsection (a), the Service shall perform the following functions:
(1)the disruption and prevention of unlawful activity aimed at harming the security of the State, the democratic order or its institutions;
(2)the protection of persons, information and places as prescribed by the Government;
(3)the prescription of provisions regarding security classification of positions and posts in the public service and in other bodies, as prescribed by the Government, excluding elected public officials and judges, and also the determination of the security suitability of a person for a position or post that has been assigned a security classification, including by the use of polygraph tests, all as shall be prescribed in Rules; in this paragraph, "judges" – those who hold judicial authority under Basic Law: The Judiciary, excluding candidates for judicial office and excluding a military judge under the Military Justice Law, 5715-1955;
(4)the prescription of security procedures for bodies as prescribed by the Government;
(5)the conduct of intelligence research and the provision of advice and situation assessments to the Government and to other bodies as prescribed by the Government;
(6)activity in another field prescribed by the Government, with the approval of the Knesset Committee for Service Affairs, intended to preserve and promote vital state interests for the national security of the State;
(7)the collection and receipt of information for the preservation and promotion of the matters set out in this section.
General Powers of the Service§
8.
(a)For the purpose of performing its functions, the Service is authorised, through its employees –
(1)to receive and collect information;
(2)to transfer information to other bodies in accordance with Rules to be prescribed and subject to the provisions of any law;
(3)to investigate suspects and suspicions in connection with the commission of offences or to conduct investigations for the purpose of preventing offences in the fields set out in section 7(b)(1), and also in fields prescribed by the Government under section 7(b)(6);
(4)to enlist the assistance of a person who is not a Service employee for the purpose of performing missions, in accordance with Rules to be prescribed.
(b)For the purpose of performing the functions of the Service under section 7(b)(1), (2) or (6), office holders among the Service employees shall have police powers under the enactments listed in the Schedule, all as prescribed in Regulations or Rules, in consultation with the Minister responsible for each enactment.
(c)A Service employee authorised to do so by the Head of the Service may, for the purpose of performing the functions of the Service under section 7(b)(2), enter premises that are not a closed private building in order to carry out inspections and conduct security and prevention operations, provided that entry into such premises for a period exceeding 12 hours requires the consent of the occupier; if such consent is not given, entry into those premises shall not be effected except with the approval of the court and on conditions it has prescribed.
Intelligence Search at a Border Station§
9.
(a)For the purpose of performing the functions of the Service under section 7(b)(1), (2) or (6), office holders among the Service employees, as prescribed in the Service Directives, may, at a border station of Israel, conduct a search of a person's body, his belongings, luggage, vehicle or other goods in his possession, and seize an object or collect information, all in the presence of that person.
(b)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), if an office holder among the Service employees as referred to in that subsection has reasonable grounds to believe that in a person's belongings, luggage, vehicle or other goods at a border station of Israel there is an object whose seizure is essential for the purpose of performing the functions of the Service under section 7(b)(1), (2) or (6), he may conduct a search of the belongings, luggage, vehicle or goods and seize the object as aforesaid or collect information even not in the presence of their owner or the person holding them and without his knowledge.
(c)An object seized under subsections (a) or (b) may be examined and its contents copied, as the case may be, and it shall be held for the time necessary for the purpose of the seizure; if an object was seized and not returned, it shall be dealt with as prescribed in Regulations.
(d)In this section, "border station" – including a checkpoint at a crossing between Israel and the Area, within its meaning in the Implementation of the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (Jurisdiction and Other Provisions) (Legislative Amendments) Law, 5756-1996.
Covert Search of a Vehicle or Premises for Intelligence Purposes§
10.
(a)The Prime Minister may authorise in writing office holders among the Service employees, as prescribed in the Service Directives, to enter a vehicle or premises and conduct a search therein and collect information, not in the presence of the owner or the person holding them and without his knowledge, if he is satisfied that in that vehicle or those premises there is information essential for the purpose of performing the functions of the Service under section 7(b)(1), (2) or (6), and that it is not reasonably possible to achieve the purpose of the search in another way (hereinafter – covert search).
(b)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), the Head of the Service may authorise in writing the conduct of a covert search, if he is satisfied that the search is essential and admits of no delay, and that there is insufficient time to obtain a permit under subsection (a) in time; if the Head of the Service has granted a permit for a covert search under this subsection, he shall report thereon to the Prime Minister as soon as possible and no later than 72 hours from the time of granting the permit.
(c)A permit under this section shall specify the vehicle or premises in respect of which the permit is granted, and the information sought to be collected, if known in advance, as well as the period of validity of the permit.
(d)The Head of the Service shall submit a report to the Attorney General once every 30 days on permits granted under this section.
Communications Data§
11.
(a)In this section –
"licence holder" – (Repealed)
"information" – including communications data but excluding the content of a conversation within its meaning in the Wiretapping Law, 5739-1979;
"licensed provider" – as defined in section 13 of the Communications Law (Telecommunications and Broadcasting), 5742-1982 (in this section – the Communications Law), and also any body upon which section 13 of that Law has been applied by virtue of section 64b of that Law.
(b)The Prime Minister may prescribe in Rules that categories of information contained in information databases of a licensed provider, as shall be specified in the Rules, are required by the Service for the purpose of performing its functions under this Law, and that the licensed provider must transfer information of such categories to the Service.
(c)Use of information contained in an information database as referred to in subsection (b) shall be effected pursuant to a permit from the Head of the Service, after he has been satisfied that it is required by the Service for the purpose of performing its functions under this Law; the permit shall specify, to the extent possible, particulars regarding the information required, and the purpose for which it is required and particulars regarding the information database in which it is contained; the permit shall be for a period to be prescribed therein that shall not exceed six months, however the Head of the Service may renew it in accordance with the provisions of this subsection.
(d)The Head of the Service shall submit to the Prime Minister and to the Attorney General, once every three months, and to the Knesset Committee for Service Affairs – once a year, a report on permits granted under this section and on the manner of use of information under this section; the particulars of the report shall be prescribed in Rules.
(e)The Prime Minister shall prescribe in Rules provisions regarding the retention of categories of information as referred to in subsection (b) by a licensed provider, for a period to be prescribed, and regarding the manner of transfer of categories of information to the Service; the Prime Minister shall also prescribe, with the agreement of the Minister of Justice, in Rules, provisions regarding the manner of holding and retaining information transferred to the Service under this section, and provisions regarding the deletion or destruction of information whose retention is no longer required.
(f)In complying with a provision under this section, the provisions of section 13(e) of the Communications Law shall apply.
Reporting§
12.
(a)The Head of the Service shall report to the Ministers Committee from time to time and not less than once every three months on the activities of the Service, and special reports shall also be submitted to the Committee upon its request, all in accordance with the Rules prescribed.
(b)The Head of the Service shall report to the Knesset Committee for Service Affairs from time to time and not less than once every three months on the activities of the Service, and special reports shall also be submitted to the Committee upon its request, all in accordance with the Rules prescribed.
Inspector of the Service§
13.
(a)The Prime Minister shall appoint, in consultation with the Head of the Service, an inspector for the Service with suitable background and experience.
(b)The Inspector of the Service shall be appointed for a single term of office of five years and upon the conclusion of his term of office shall not fill any other position in the Service.
(c)The Inspector of the Service shall conduct internal audit in the Service in accordance with the provisions of the Internal Audit Law, 5752-1992 (in this section – the Audit Law), and shall also assist the Government and the Ministers Committee in the performance of their functions; the Prime Minister may in that regard assign to the Inspector additional functions, in accordance with Rules to be prescribed.
(d)The Head of the Service may, with the approval of the Prime Minister, also assign to the Inspector of the Service the handling of complaints by Service employees as well as the handling of complaints against the Service, a Service employee or a person acting on its behalf, excluding matters handled by the Department for the Investigation of Police Officers within the Ministry of Justice under the provisions of Chapter IV:2 of the Police Ordinance [New Version], 5731-1971, and excluding complaints of persons under investigation; if the Inspector has not been assigned to handle complaints as aforesaid, the Prime Minister shall appoint another person to perform that function.
(e)In the performance of his function, the provisions of the Audit Law shall apply to the Inspector of the Service with the following modifications:
(1)the person responsible for the Inspector of the Service shall be the Prime Minister, however the Head of the Service may assign to the Inspector additional tasks of internal audit as referred to in section 7(b) of the Audit Law;
(2)access by the Inspector of the Service to any document, information or place shall not be withheld on grounds of privilege and confidentiality;
(3)the suspension of the Inspector of the Service for the purposes of section 12 of the Audit Law shall only be effected with the approval of the Ministers Committee; if a decision on suspension as aforesaid is made, notice thereof shall be given to the Knesset Committee for Service Affairs;
(4)Regulations under the Audit Law shall apply to the Inspector of the Service with the agreement of the Prime Minister;
(5)the Inspector of the Service shall submit an annual report on his findings and also every periodic report he has prepared, also to the Head of the Service, to the Ministers Committee and to the Knesset Committee for Service Affairs; the Prime Minister may instruct the Inspector of the Service to submit reports to additional authorities and office holders.
Discipline§
14.
Without derogating from the provisions of section 75a of the State Service (Discipline) Law, 5723-1963, the Head of the Service may prescribe in the Service Directives additional provisions regarding the regime and discipline that shall apply in the Service.
Security Suitability§
15.
(a)The employment of a person in a position or post for which a security classification has been prescribed as referred to in section 7(b)(3) shall be in accordance with the classification requirements, as prescribed in Rules.
(b)
(1)A person who considers himself aggrieved by a decision regarding his security unsuitability for a post or position that has been assigned a security classification is entitled to appeal against the decision before a committee of three, the chairperson of which shall be a retired District Court judge, to be appointed by the Prime Minister in consultation with the Minister of Justice; in an appeal by a soldier as defined in section 1 of the Military Justice Law, 5715-1955, the committee shall include a member to be appointed by the Minister of Defence in consultation with the Minister of Justice;
(2)Provisions regarding notice to an employer of the security classification requirements for his employees, regarding notice to a person of security unsuitability, and also regarding the manner of referral to the committee, its powers and the procedure before it, shall be prescribed in Regulations.
Information Security§
16.
A person holding information for which a security classification has been prescribed under section 7(b) shall handle it in accordance with the provisions prescribed in Rules.
Internal Debriefing§
17.
(a)Matters stated in an internal debriefing and a report prepared following an internal debriefing, including protocols, findings, conclusions and recommendations (hereinafter – internal debriefing material), shall not be admitted as evidence in legal proceedings, except in disciplinary proceedings and in criminal proceedings for the provision of false information or the knowing concealment of a material detail in a debriefing.
(b)Internal debriefing material shall not be disclosed except in one of the following:
(1)the Head of the Service has approved its disclosure to a public official who requires the material or part thereof for the purpose of performing his function or to a person concerned;
(2)to the Attorney General or to a person authorised by him for that purpose, upon their request and after hearing the position of the Head of the Service on the matter;
(3)to the Knesset Committee for Service Affairs, upon its request.
(c)In this section, "internal debriefing" – an inquiry conducted in the Service, pursuant to the Service Directives, regarding activity of the Service, including an internal examination and an operational debriefing.
Limitation of Liability§
18.
A Service employee or a person acting on behalf of the Service shall not bear criminal or civil liability for an act or omission performed in good faith and in a reasonable manner within the scope of his function and for the purpose of performing it; however, nothing in the provisions of this section shall derogate from disciplinary liability under any law.
Confidentiality and Penalties§
19.
(a)
(1)Rules, Service Directives, Service Procedures and the identity of Service employees and persons acting on its behalf, past or present, as well as other particulars relating to the Service to be prescribed in Regulations, are confidential and their disclosure or publication is prohibited;
(2)A Service employee and also a person acting on behalf of the Service, past or present, shall not disclose information that came to his knowledge by virtue of his function or in the framework of his activity in the Service, to a person who is not authorised to receive it, unless required to do so by law or unless he has received a written permit therefor in accordance with the Service Directives;
(3)The Prime Minister may permit the publication of information whose publication is prohibited under this section, and may also prescribe in Regulations provisions regarding the granting of a permit for publication.
(b)
(1)A person who discloses or publishes confidential information under this Law without a permit, is liable to imprisonment of three years; a person who caused such disclosure or publication through negligence is liable to imprisonment of one year;
(2)A Service employee and also a person acting on behalf of the Service, past or present, who discloses or publishes confidential information without a permit under this section, is liable to imprisonment of five years; if the disclosure or publication as aforesaid was carried out through negligence, he is liable to imprisonment of three years.
(c)
(1)Nothing in this section shall derogate from the power of a Minister under sections 44 and 45 of the Evidence Ordinance [New Version], 5731-1971, or from the powers of the Censor under the Defence Regulations (State of Emergency), 1945, or from any other power to prevent publication under any law;
(2)Nothing in the provisions of this section shall derogate from the application of the provisions of Chapter VII of Part 2 of the Penal Law, 5737-1977.
Restrictions on Service Employees§
20.
(a)The Prime Minister may prescribe in Regulations restrictions on Service employees, during and after their period of service in the Service, to the extent required for the purpose of performing the functions of the Service, for ensuring integrity in the Service, or for the purpose of protecting the personal security of Service employees and former employees.
(b)A Service employee shall not be a member of a workers' organisation and shall not take part in activities for the establishment, maintenance or management of a workers' organisation; a breach of the provisions of this section shall be deemed a disciplinary offence; in this subsection, "workers' organisation" – any organisation or representation, whether permanent or temporary, among whose purposes or activities is the handling of the organisation, management, regime and discipline and the conditions of service of Service employees, or the representation of a Service employee in these matters.
Implementation, Regulations, Rules, Service Directives and Service Procedures§
21.
(a)The Prime Minister is responsible for the implementation of this Law, and may, with the approval of the Ministers Committee and the Knesset Committee for Service Affairs, and subject to the provisions of this Law, make Regulations and Rules, as the case may be, in respect of anything relating to its implementation.
(b)The Head of the Service may, with the approval of the Prime Minister, and subject to the provisions of this Law and to the Regulations and Rules made thereunder, prescribe the Service Directives on any matter relating to the performance of the Service's functions.
(c)The Head of the Service may, subject to the provisions of this Law, to the Regulations, Rules and Service Directives made thereunder, prescribe the Service Procedures on any matter relating to the management, operation and performance of functions of the Service.
Publication, Confidentiality and Liability§
22.
(a)Regulations under this Law shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette); Rules, Service Directives and Service Procedures under this Law do not require publication in Reshumot (Official Gazette) or any other public publication.
(b)The manner of keeping Rules, Service Directives and Service Procedures, including the definition of their classification and distribution, shall be prescribed in the Rules, Service Directives and Service Procedures, respectively.
(c)A person shall not bear criminal or disciplinary liability under Rules or Service Directives that have not been published, unless they have been brought to that person's knowledge in another manner as prescribed by the Head of the Service or the Prime Minister.
Amendment of the Schedule§
23.
The Prime Minister, with the approval of the Ministers Committee and the Knesset Committee for Service Affairs, may amend the Schedule.
Savings Provisions§
24.
Nothing in the provisions of this Law shall derogate from any power conferred under any law.
Commencement and Transitional Provisions§
25.
(a)This Law shall commence sixty days from the day of its publication; however, section 15(b) shall commence on the day of commencement of the Regulations to be made thereunder, and no later than the end of six months from the day of commencement of this Law.
(b)Government decisions, procedures and other arrangements that were in force on the eve of the commencement of this Law in matters dealt with by this Law shall remain in force until the prescription of the Regulations, Rules, Service Directives and Government decisions required for that matter under this Law, and no later than the end of 18 months from the day of commencement of this Law.
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