Law for the Regulation of Security in Public Bodies, 5758–1998
חוק להסדרת הבטחון בגופים ציבוריים, התשנ"ח–1998
Published: 1998-08-07Last amended 2026-07-28✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-09
Premium
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
This English text was translated from the official Hebrew using a range of translation tools, and it undergoes ongoing checks and updates. It is not a certified translation.
Despite these checks, it may contain errors, omissions, or imprecise renderings of legal terminology and cross-references, and it may not yet reflect the latest amendments. It cannot be relied upon as a legal text.
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.
This translation is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For use in legal proceedings, request a certified Expert Legal Opinion.
Definitions§
1.
In this Law –
"the maritime zone" – the coastal waters strip of Israel, as well as the continental shelf as defined in the Shipping (Offences against the Security of International Navigation and Maritime Installations) Law, 5768–2008, and the strip of sea above it;
"harbour basin" – the maritime area bounded and enclosed by the extremities of the breakwaters within the port area;
"public body" – any body listed in the Schedules, and with respect to a Government ministry listed in the Schedules – including its subordinate units;
"the Committee" – the appeals committee under section 7;
"the Advisory Committee" – an advisory committee established under section 11a;
"security clearance" and "security classification" – as defined in the General Security Service Law, 5762-2002;
"Natural Gas Sector Law" – the Natural Gas Sector Law, 5762–2002;
"Petroleum Law" – the Petroleum Law, 5712–1952;
"Shipping and Ports Authority Law" – the Shipping and Ports Authority Law, 5764–2004;
"security officer" – a person appointed under section 13 to carry out security operations in a public body;
"maritime installation" – an installation located in the maritime zone, including a vessel as defined in the Shipping (Vessels) Law, 5720–1960, used for conducting a survey for the discovery of petroleum or for drilling, production, conveyance, liquefaction or gasification of petroleum, or for the treatment, storage or transportation of petroleum;
"security co-ordinator" – a person appointed under this Law to be responsible for the organisation of security operations and the supervision thereof, in the bodies listed in the Schedules;
"the National Cyber Directorate" – the National Cyber Directorate established pursuant to a Government decision and operating in accordance with its decisions;
"petroleum" – as defined in the Petroleum Law;
"representative of the National Cyber Directorate" – the head of the National Cyber Directorate or an employee of the Directorate appointed by him;
"IDF representative" – a person appointed by the Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defence Forces;
"Shin Bet representative" – a person appointed by the head of the General Security Service;
"critical computerised systems" – computerised systems designated as critical by the body authorised to do so by the Government;
"type of security operations" – each of the following:
(1)physical security operations;
(2)information security operations;
(3)operations for the security of critical computerised systems;
(4)maritime security operations;
"budgetary cost" – NIS 6,575,995 (adjusted to 2023), subject to the provisions of section 17(c);
"security operations" –
(1)with respect to the bodies listed in the First, Second and Third Schedules – physical security operations, and with respect to the bodies listed in the First and Second Schedules also information security operations;
(2)with respect to the bodies listed in the Fourth and Fifth Schedules – operations for the security of critical computerised systems;
(3)with respect to bodies listed in the Sixth Schedule – maritime security operations;
"maritime security operations" – operations required for the purpose of safeguarding a person's security or safeguarding property, in a structure or at a place of a public body located in the maritime zone, as well as operations to prevent harm to any of these;
"physical security operations" – operations required for the purpose of safeguarding a person's security or safeguarding property, in a structure or at a place of a public body not located in the maritime zone, as well as operations to prevent harm to any of these;
"operations for the security of critical computerised systems" – operations required for the purpose of safeguarding computerised systems that a body authorised by the Government has determined to be critical computerised systems, the information stored in those systems and classified information connected to those systems, as well as operations to prevent harm to the systems or to the information as aforesaid;
"information security operations" – operations required for the purpose of safeguarding classified information of a public body or such information held by it, as well as operations to prevent harm to any of these;
"authorised officer" –
(1)with respect to the bodies listed in the First Schedule – the Shin Bet representative;
(2)with respect to the bodies listed in the Second Schedule –
(a)with regard to physical security operations – a police officer;
(b)with regard to security clearance – the Shin Bet representative;
(b1)with regard to information security operations –
(1)with regard to bodies listed in the Second Schedule but not listed in the Fifth Schedule – the Shin Bet representative;
(2)with regard to bodies listed in both the Second Schedule and the Fifth Schedule – the representative of the National Cyber Directorate, subject to the provisions of section 22b;
(c)(Repealed);
(3)with respect to the bodies listed in the Third Schedule – a police officer;
(4)with respect to the bodies listed in the Fourth Schedule – the Shin Bet representative;
(5)with respect to the bodies listed in the Fifth Schedule – the representative of the National Cyber Directorate;
(6)with respect to the bodies listed in the Sixth Schedule, with regard to maritime security operations – the IDF representative;
"police officer" – a police officer of the rank of Deputy Commander and above, appointed by the Inspector General of the Police;
"regulatory authority" – as defined in section 4 of the Principles of Regulation Law, 5782–2021;
"the Minister" – the Minister of Internal Security.
Obligation to appoint a security co-ordinator§
2.
(a)A public body shall appoint a security co-ordinator who shall be directly subordinate to the head of the public body or to his deputy.
(b)The Minister may exempt a public body listed in the Third Schedule from the obligation to appoint a security co-ordinator, and upon doing so – the provisions of this Law shall not apply to that public body.
(c)
(1)A person appointed as security co-ordinator may fulfil an additional role in the public body, provided that in the opinion of the authorised officer this does not impair his function as security co-ordinator.
(2)The public body may appeal to the Committee against the decision of the authorised officer under paragraph (1).
(d)Where a public body operates at several sites, an authorised officer may determine that, in addition to the security co-ordinator, a security co-ordinator responsible for the sites at which the public body operates shall also be appointed (hereinafter – local security co-ordinator); a local security co-ordinator shall be subordinate to the security co-ordinator.
(e)Where the public body is listed in the Second Schedule, the authorised officer may make a determination as referred to in subsections (c) and (d) with the consent of the Shin Bet representative, and if it is also listed in the Fifth Schedule – also with the consent of the representative of the National Cyber Directorate.
(f)Where the public body is listed both in the Sixth Schedule and in another Schedule to this Law, the determination under subsections (c) and (d) shall be made jointly by all the authorised officers relevant to that body.
Person responsible for the security of critical computerised systems§
2a.
A public body listed in the Fourth Schedule or in the Fifth Schedule shall appoint, with the approval of the authorised officer and in accordance with the eligibility and training conditions set by him, a person responsible for the organisation, implementation and supervision of operations for the security of critical computerised systems (in this Law – person responsible for the security of critical computerised systems); where the security co-ordinator of that public body meets the eligibility and training conditions referred to in this section, the public body may appoint him as aforesaid to be the person responsible for the security of critical computerised systems; however, with respect to a public body listed in the Fifth Schedule, such an appointment requires the approval of the representative of the National Cyber Directorate; the provisions of sections 6 to 9 shall apply, with the necessary modifications, to the person responsible for critical computerised systems and to a candidate for that position, as the case may be.
Powers of the security co-ordinator§
3.
(a)For the purpose of carrying out security operations, the security co-ordinator of a public body shall have the powers set out in paragraphs (1) to (5) –
(1)to conduct a search and to seize an object in accordance with the provisions of sections 3 and 4(2) of the Powers for the Preservation of Public Safety Law, 5765–2005 (in this Law – the Powers for the Preservation of Public Safety Law);
(2)to require a person entering the place in which the public body operates, or a person present at it or in its immediate vicinity, to provide his name and address and to present to him an identity card or another official document attesting to his identity, which he is required to carry under any law;
(3)where a person refuses a demand for identification, a search or seizure, the security co-ordinator shall have the powers set out in section 5 of the Powers for the Preservation of Public Safety Law;
(4)where the security co-ordinator has a reasonable suspicion that a person is unlawfully carrying a weapon or is about to make unlawful use of a weapon, or that he is about to commit an offence that may endanger the security of a person, public security or State security, the security co-ordinator shall have powers of detention against that person in accordance with the provisions of section 6 of the Powers for the Preservation of Public Safety Law;
(5)
(a)where the bringing in or carrying of a weapon at a place in which a public body operates is prohibited under any law, the security co-ordinator may require a person entering that place to deposit, during his stay at the place, the weapon he is carrying, or to prevent him from entering with such a weapon, including by the use of reasonable force – if he refuses to comply with his instructions;
(b)the deposit of a weapon under this section shall be carried out in the manner prescribed under section 10(c) of the Powers for the Preservation of Public Safety Law;
(6)in this subsection, "weapon" – as defined in section 2 of the Powers for the Preservation of Public Safety Law.
(b)In public bodies designated by the Minister by Order, the security co-ordinator shall have the powers referred to in this section, with the necessary modifications, also when carrying out security operations while escorting vehicles or persons outside the place in which the public body operates.
The following public bodies have been designated as public bodies in which the security co-ordinator shall have the powers referred to in section 3 of the Law, with the necessary modifications, also when carrying out security operations while escorting vehicles or persons outside the places in which the public body operates: the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations and the Prime Minister's Office (KT 5766, 588); the General Security Service (KT 5766, 711); Government ministries not listed in the First Schedule to the Law, the Bank of Israel, Mekorot Israel National Water Company, the Israel Electric Corporation Ltd., Bezeq The Israel Telecommunication Corp. Ltd., Pelephone Communications Ltd., Cellcom Israel Ltd., Partner Communications Ltd., Mirs Communications Ltd., the Postal Authority, Israel Railways Ltd., the Israel Land Administration, the National Insurance Institute, the Antiquities Authority (KT 5766, 770); the Ministry of Defence, defence establishment enterprises as defined in the Law (KT 5766, 830); the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Office of the President of the State (KT 5772, 778); public authorities with respect to the security of a "threatened personality" under section 341a of the Municipalities Ordinance as referred to in the Third Schedule to the Law (KT 5775, 1108); the Office of the State Comptroller (KT 5779, 3354).
Conditions for obtaining approval for the appointment of a security co-ordinator§
4.
(a)
(1)A person shall not be appointed as security co-ordinator unless he has been found eligible to serve as such by the authorised officer.
(2)With respect to an appointment in bodies listed in the Second Schedule that are not listed in the Fifth Schedule, the appointment of a security co-ordinator requires the approval of a police officer and the Shin Bet representative.
(3)With respect to an appointment in bodies listed in both the Second Schedule and the Fifth Schedule, the appointment of a security co-ordinator requires the approval of a police officer, the Shin Bet representative and the representative of the National Cyber Directorate.
(a1)
(1)Where the public body is listed both in Part 1 of the Sixth Schedule and in another Schedule to this Law, the approval of the eligibility of a candidate to serve as security co-ordinator, under subsection (a), shall be given jointly by all the authorised officers relevant to that body.
(2)Where the public body is listed both in Part 2 of the Sixth Schedule and in another Schedule to this Law, the approval of the eligibility of a candidate to serve as security co-ordinator, under subsection (a), shall be given jointly by all the authorised officers relevant to that body, except for the IDF representative.
(b)An application for approval of the eligibility of a candidate to serve as security co-ordinator (hereinafter – candidate) shall be submitted in writing by the public body to the authorised officer.
(c)The authorised officer shall approve the eligibility of a candidate if all of the following conditions are met:
(1)he is an Israeli citizen or a permanent resident of Israel;
(2)he has reached the age of 25;
(3)he is a graduate of a command course in the Israel Defence Forces, the Israel Police, the General Security Service, the Prison Service or the unit of the security co-ordinator in the defence establishment, or he has at least three consecutive years of experience, during the five years preceding the submission of the application, in occupation in the field of security or protection that qualifies him, in the opinion of the authorised officer, to serve as security co-ordinator;
(4)he holds an academic degree;
(5)he holds a licence to carry a firearm under the Firearms Law, 5709–1949 (hereinafter – the Firearms Law), or the Director of the Ministry of Health or a person authorised by him has confirmed that he does not have information regarding the candidate as referred to in sections 11a or 11b of the Firearms Law, by reason of which he would recommend that a licence to carry a firearm not be granted to that candidate;
(6)he has produced a certificate from an authorised physician attesting to his medical fitness as the Minister shall prescribe by Regulations, in consultation with the Minister of Health;
(7)there is no impediment, in the opinion of the authorised officer, to approving the eligibility of the candidate on grounds of public safety or State security, including with respect to his criminal record;
(8)his security clearance has been determined where a security classification has been set for his position.
(d)The authorised officer may –
(1)in a public body listed in the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Schedules – set additional conditions regarding the education, experience and suitability of the candidate to serve as security co-ordinator; where the public body is listed in more than one Schedule, the said conditions shall be set jointly by all the authorised officers relevant to that body, however with respect to a body listed in Part 2 of the Sixth Schedule – except for the IDF representative;
(2)in a public body listed in the First, Second, Third and Sixth Schedules – exempt a candidate from the condition referred to in subsection (c)(4) on special grounds that shall be recorded, provided it has been proven to the satisfaction of the authorised officer that, in light of his experience, training or education, he is suitable to fulfil the position even though that condition has not been met in his regard;
(3)in a public body listed in the Third Schedule – exempt a candidate for local security co-ordinator, in addition to what is stated in paragraph (2), from the condition referred to in subsection (c)(3).
Training track for a security co-ordinator§
5.
(a)Where the authorised officer has approved the eligibility of a candidate to serve as security co-ordinator in a public body, he shall give notice thereof to the public body.
(b)
(1)A candidate approved as aforesaid in subsection (a) shall not be appointed until he has successfully completed a professional training track approved under subsection (c) in the field of security and in the field of the powers vested in him under this Law.
(2)The provisions of section 8(7)(b) of the Powers for the Preservation of Public Safety Law shall apply to the approval of professional training as referred to in this subsection.
(c)The professional training track shall be approved –
(1)with respect to the bodies in the First Schedule – by the Shin Bet representative;
(2)
(a)with respect to the bodies in the Second Schedule that are not in the Fifth Schedule – by the police officer, with the approval of the Shin Bet representative;
(b)with respect to the bodies in the Second Schedule and in the Fifth Schedule – by the police officer, with the approval of the Shin Bet representative and the representative of the National Cyber Directorate;
(3)with respect to the bodies in the Third Schedule – by the police officer;
(4)with respect to the bodies in the Sixth Schedule – by the IDF representative; with respect to a body listed both in Part 1 of the Sixth Schedule and in another Schedule to this Law – jointly by all the authorised officers relevant to that body; and with respect to a body listed both in Part 2 of the Sixth Schedule and in another Schedule to this Law – jointly by all the said authorised officers, except for the IDF representative.
(d)The authorised officer may exempt the candidate from fulfilling the condition under this section, in whole or in part, having regard to the candidate's prior training.
(e)Upon the appointment of a security co-ordinator, the public body shall give notice thereof to the authorised officer, and the commencement of his duties as security co-ordinator shall be upon receipt of a certificate from the authorised officer, as set out in section 14.
Notice of disqualification of a candidate for reasons other than lack of security clearance§
6.
(a)Where it has been decided not to approve the eligibility of a candidate, other than on account of lack of security clearance, the authorised officer shall give notice thereof in writing to the public body.
(b)The authorised officer shall set out in writing his reasons for the decision before the candidate if requested by the candidate to do so, except for reasons in respect of which there is a reasonable concern that their disclosure may harm a person's wellbeing, or State security, or expose the methods of operation of investigation and intelligence authorities.
Appointment of an appeals committee§
7.
The Minister shall appoint an appeals committee composed of the following:
(1)the chairperson of the Committee – a State employee or former State employee who is qualified to serve as a District Court judge, with the consent of the Minister of Justice;
(2)a representative of the Israel Police who is – a police officer of the rank of Assistant Commander and above whose occupation is in the field of operations or policing, to be appointed by the Inspector General;
(3)
(a)a representative of the General Security Service, to be appointed by the head of the General Security Service – with respect to decisions concerning bodies listed in the First Schedule, bodies listed in the Second Schedule that are not listed in the Fifth Schedule, and bodies listed in the Fourth Schedule;
(b)a public representative with experience in the field of security or protection – with respect to decisions concerning bodies listed in the Third Schedule;
(c)an employee of the National Cyber Directorate appointed for this purpose by the head of the Directorate – with respect to decisions concerning bodies listed in the Fifth Schedule;
(4)an IDF representative, to be appointed by the Chief of the General Staff of the IDF – with respect to decisions concerning bodies listed in Part 1 of the Sixth Schedule, on the subject of maritime security.
Appeal against disqualification of a candidate otherwise than on grounds of security unsuitability§
8.
(a)A public body or a candidate may submit an appeal to the Committee against a decision under section 6(a) not to approve the eligibility of a candidate, including a decision not to disclose reasons as referred to in section 6(b); the appeal shall be reasoned and shall be submitted in writing within thirty days of the date of receipt of the notice of the decision.
(b)The Committee may, after having given the authorised entities for approving eligibility under section 4, the public body and the candidate an opportunity to present their arguments before it, accept the appeal or dismiss it, vary the decision of the authorised officer or remit the matter to him with directions; if the appeals committee accepts the appeal, the requested approval shall be granted.
(c)In addition to that stated in subsection (a), the Committee is empowered, at the request of one of the authorised entities for approving eligibility under section 4, and after having given the security co-ordinator and the public body an opportunity to present their arguments before it, to revoke or suspend an approval that was granted, if it found that a condition referred to in section 4 is no longer fulfilled by the security co-ordinator, or if the security co-ordinator has not complied with the professional directives issued to him under section 10; however, the Committee shall not consider a request to revoke or suspend an approval that was granted due to non-compliance with professional directives issued under section 10, so long as a request for reconsideration in that matter is pending.
(d)Where the appeal concerns a decision to disqualify a candidate or to revoke or suspend an approval granted to a security co-ordinator that was based, inter alia, on medical grounds, the Committee shall not decide on the appeal except after receiving the opinion of a licensed physician holding a specialist's degree as it shall determine; a candidate's refusal to be examined for the purpose of preparing the opinion shall constitute a ground for dismissing the appeal.
(e)The Committee shall notify its decision in writing to the authorised officer, the public body, the candidate or the security co-ordinator, as the case may be, within thirty days of the date on which the hearing of the appeal is concluded; the Committee shall set out its reasons, but may refrain from setting out reasons where there is a reasonable concern that their disclosure may cause harm to a person's welfare or to State security, or may expose the methods of operation of investigation and intelligence authorities.
(f)A decision of the Committee may be appealed within 30 days before an administrative affairs court.
Disqualification of a candidate on grounds of security unsuitability§
8a.
(a)The provisions under section 15 of the General Security Service Law, 5762-2002 shall apply to the disqualification of a candidate on grounds of security unsuitability.
(b)In this section, "candidate" – including a candidate to serve as a security officer.
Appointment of a temporary security co-ordinator§
9.
(a)Where an approval of a security co-ordinator has been revoked or suspended under this section, the public body shall appoint a temporary security co-ordinator who has been approved for that purpose by the authorised entities for approving eligibility under section 4.
(b)The authorised entities for approving eligibility under section 4 may approve the appointment of a temporary security co-ordinator even if he has not met all the requirements of this Law, provided that the conditions set out in section 4(c)(1), (2) and (7) are fulfilled with respect to him.
(c)The appointment of a temporary security co-ordinator shall be for a period not exceeding six months; however, the authorised entities for approving eligibility under section 4 may approve his employment for an additional period if they found that the delay in appointing a security co-ordinator arose from reasons not dependent on the public body.
(d)In addition to that stated in this section, the public body shall act immediately to appoint a security co-ordinator in accordance with the provisions of this Law.
Power of an authorised officer to issue professional directives§
10.
(a)An authorised officer or a person authorised by him to do so may issue professional directives to a public body, a security co-ordinator or a person responsible for the security of critical computerised systems, in all matters relating to security operations, including directives on the subject of control and reporting (in this Law – professional directives); the Minister, in consultation with the responsible Minister, may determine that professional directives to a public body shall be conveyed through the security co-ordinator of another public body; for this purpose, "the responsible Minister" – the Minister responsible for a public body or the Minister responsible for the implementation of a law regulating the operations of a public body or in whose area of responsibility the activity of the public body falls, as the case may be.
(a1)Professional directives under subsection (a) regarding maritime security operations of a body listed in item 1 of Part 1 of the Sixth Schedule shall be issued after consultation with the director of the natural gas authority appointed under the Natural Gas Sector Law, regarding such directives to a body listed in item 2 of Part 1 of the Sixth Schedule – after consultation with the petroleum commissioner appointed under the Petroleum Law, and regarding such directives to a body listed in Part 2 of the Sixth Schedule – after consultation with the director of the shipping and ports authority appointed under the Shipping and Ports Authority Law.
(a2)
(1)An authorised officer or a person authorised by him to do so shall not issue to a public body professional directives of the types listed in section 11a(e) except after having considered economic and budgetary considerations and examined the possible economic effects of the professional directives, and after having brought the directives before the Advisory Committee and considered its recommendations, if given, in accordance with the provisions of section 11a; in this Law, "economic effects" – including effects on the activity of the body and their implications for the public, including costs, and effects on the service that the public body provides to the public.
(2)For the purpose of carrying out the examination referred to in paragraph (1), the authorised officer or a person authorised by him to do so may approach the public body in order to obtain a cost assessment of the implementation of the professional directives as well as a review of the possible economic effects; the public body shall transmit to the authorised officer the cost assessment and the review within 15 days of the date of the authorised officer's approach.
(a3)A professional directive whose cost of implementation exceeds the budgetary cost shall remain in force for a period not exceeding five years; however, this shall not derogate from the power of the authorised officer, after having acted as stated in subsection (a2), to renew the professional directive for additional periods.
(b)A public body, a security co-ordinator and a person responsible for the security of critical computerised systems shall comply with professional directives issued under the provisions of this section.
(c)The authorised officers shall establish by procedure rules for co-ordinating professional directives and for resolving disputes between them.
(d)The authorised officer shall document in a consolidated manner the professional directives he has issued to the public bodies he directs.
(e)The authorised officer shall notify the public body in writing, at the time of issuing or varying professional directives, that there is a possibility of reconsideration of the professional directives under section 10a, and of submitting an appeal against a decision given on a request for reconsideration under section 11.
Reconsideration of professional directives§
10a.
(a)A public body, a security co-ordinator and a person responsible for the security of critical computerised systems may submit a request for reconsideration of professional directives to one of the following:
(1)regarding professional directives issued by the Shin Bet representative – before the head of a division in the General Security Service designated for that purpose by the head of the General Security Service;
(2)regarding professional directives issued by a police officer – before the head of the division in the Israel Police responsible for the security branch or his deputy;
(3)regarding professional directives issued by a representative of the National Cyber Directorate – before the head of the National Cyber Directorate or a senior employee among the employees of the Directorate appointed by him for that purpose;
(4)regarding professional directives issued by an IDF representative – before the commander of the Navy or another officer of the rank of Brigadier General appointed by the commander of the Navy for that purpose.
(b)A request for reconsideration as referred to in subsection (a) shall be submitted within 30 days of the date of receipt of the professional directives; the decision on the reconsideration shall be given within 30 days of the date of submission of the request.
(c)The body deliberating the request for reconsideration may in its decision approve the professional directives issued by the authorised officer, vary them or determine new directives.
(d)A request for reconsideration as referred to in subsections (a) and (b) shall not derogate from the obligation to comply with professional directives that have been issued.
Appeals committee regarding professional directives§
11.
(a)An appeals committee shall be appointed, comprising three members, and the following shall be its members:
(1)a representative of the body to which the authorised officer issuing the directive being appealed belongs, who shall be appointed by the Prime Minister, the Minister or the Minister of Defence, as the case may be, and who shall be the chairperson;
(2)a public representative with qualifications, experience and training in the field of security and protection, who shall be appointed by the Prime Minister, the Minister or the Minister of Defence, as the case may be;
(3)a public representative with qualifications, experience and training in the field of management and economics, who shall be appointed by the Minister of Finance together with the Prime Minister, the Minister or the Minister of Defence, as the case may be.
(a1)In an appeals committee regarding professional directives on information security at a classification level higher than "restricted", in a body listed both in the Second Schedule and in the Fifth Schedule, the appeals committee shall also include a representative of the General Security Service in addition to the representatives referred to in subsection (a).
(b)A public body may appeal against a decision given on a request for reconsideration under section 10a before an appeals committee under this section.
(c)An appeal shall be submitted within 30 days of the date of the decision on the request for reconsideration.
(d)An appeals committee under this section may, after having given an opportunity to the appellant and to any person it deems appropriate to present their arguments before it, accept the appeal or dismiss it, vary the decision on the request for reconsideration or remit the matter to the body that issued the professional directive, and give, regarding its decision, such directions as it deems appropriate.
(e)The decision on the appeal shall be given within 30 days of the date of submission of the appeal, unless the chairperson of the Committee has determined, for special reasons to be recorded, that the decision shall be given at a later date; the decision of the appeals committee shall be reasoned.
(f)The submission of an appeal under this section shall not derogate from the obligation to comply with the professional directives against which the appeal was submitted, unless the appeals committee has directed otherwise.
Advisory Committee§
11a.
(a)An advisory committee shall be established whose function is to advise the authorised officer on questions relating to the decision-making process and risk management in security in public bodies, having regard to the economic, budgetary and market effects, if any, of professional directives of the types listed in subsection (e).
(b)The opinion of the Advisory Committee shall include its conclusions regarding the manner of implementation of the risk management examination process, having regard to the economic, budgetary and market effects of the professional directives, and may include recommendations for improving that process; the Advisory Committee's opinion shall be advisory, and shall not derogate from the power of the authorised officer to issue professional directives under section 10(a).
(c)The following are the members of the Advisory Committee:
(1)a representative of the regulatory authority, who shall be appointed by the chairperson of the regulatory authority, and who shall be the chairperson;
(2)a representative of the body to which the authorised officer belongs, who shall be appointed by the head of that body, as the case may be;
(3)a representative of the Budget Division in the Ministry of Finance, who shall be appointed by the person responsible for the budget in the Ministry of Finance;
(4)a representative with expertise in the field of security, who shall be appointed by the Minister responsible for the authorised officer, as the case may be, from among the employees of his ministry or from among the public;
(5)regarding professional directives to a public body that is not a Government ministry – a representative of the Government ministry responsible for the public body or for its area of activity, who shall be appointed by the Minister responsible for that ministry.
(d)The following provisions shall apply to the Advisory Committee:
(1)a committee member shall not be appointed unless a security clearance has been determined for him for a position in accordance with the required security classification, as shall be determined by the body to which the authorised officer belongs, as the case may be;
(2)a person empowered to appoint a member of an advisory committee under this section may appoint a substitute for him, to whom the rules applicable to a member of the Advisory Committee shall apply;
(3)the existence of the Advisory Committee, its powers and the validity of its decisions shall not be affected by reason of a vacancy in the position of one of its members or a defect in his appointment or continued tenure, provided that a majority of its members are serving;
(4)without derogating from the provisions of paragraph (3), once a representative of the body to which the authorised officer belongs has been appointed, the quorum for a meeting of the Advisory Committee shall be a majority of its members including the representative of that body, unless he is absent from the meeting without notice to the chairperson of the Advisory Committee or has notified his consent to the holding of the meeting in his absence;
(5)the deliberations of the Advisory Committee shall be confidential, but with respect to matters that are not classified – the Committee may determine otherwise with the consent of the representative of the body to which the authorised officer belongs; the recommendations of the Advisory Committee shall be conveyed only to persons holding an appropriate security clearance;
(6)the Advisory Committee shall determine its working procedures if they have not been determined under this Law, subject to the determination of the body to which the authorised officer belongs regarding security classification and information security.
(e)A professional directive that is to be submitted to the Advisory Committee (in this section – an examined professional directive) shall be one of the following:
(1)the first professional directive of the authorised officer to a public body that has not previously been directed by him regarding that type of security operations, if its cost exceeds half the budgetary cost;
(2)once every five years – an examination as a whole of all the professional directives of the same type of security operations issued to a public body, if their cumulative cost exceeds twice the budgetary cost;
(3)a change in professional directives of the same type of security operations issued to a public body in a given year, in respect of which one or more of the following characteristics applies:
(a)the cost of implementing the change for the public body is at least the amount of the budgetary cost;
(b)the cost of implementing the change to the professional directive exceeds 25% of the cost of the existing directive, on the basis of a budgetary assessment by the public body, provided that the cost of implementing the change to the directive is not less than half the budgetary cost;
(c)the change to the directive applies to several public bodies subject to the authorised officer's directive, and the cumulative cost of implementing the change to the directive exceeds three times the budgetary cost;
(d)the public body has placed before the authorised officer well-founded findings raising a real concern that the examined professional directive will lead to a significant adverse effect on the cost of living, productivity, output or normal routine of life.
(f)Notwithstanding that stated in section 10(a2), the Advisory Committee may exempt an authorised officer from consulting with it, on certain matters or regarding professional directives issued to certain public bodies, if it found that the purposes for which the consultation under this section is conducted are not being fulfilled.
(g)The Advisory Committee shall not deliberate on the following professional directives:
(1)directives of an authorised officer issued to the body to which he belongs;
(2)directives of an authorised officer who is subject under this Law to an obligation to consult with another body, prior to the issuance of the professional directives;
(3)directives in fields for which a decision has been adopted on security matters by the Government, by the Ministerial Committee for National Security Affairs or by the Ministerial Committee established under section 5 of the General Security Service Law, 5762-2002, provided that a budgetary source has been arranged for them;
(4)directives that the representative of the person responsible for security in the defence establishment issues to the Ministry of Defence, to the "defence establishment enterprises" and to enterprises that manufacture products for the defence establishment, as they are defined in an Order of the Minister of Defence, in accordance with item (3) of the First Schedule.
(h)For the purpose of formulating the opinion of the Advisory Committee, the authorised officer shall transmit for its review, with a copy to the public body, the draft examined professional directives, together with a response that includes all of the following:
(1)an explanation of the security need that the examined professional directives are intended to address; such an explanation may be prepared by the public body if the examined professional directives were formulated together with it, at the authorised officer's discretion;
(2)a cost assessment of the implementation of the examined professional directives and a review of the possible economic effects of the directives, on the basis of consultation with such bodies as the authorised officer deems appropriate; the authorised officer may instruct the public body to prepare and transmit a cost assessment and review as aforesaid directly to the Advisory Committee, with a copy to him;
(3)a response to aspects of risk management, the selection of an action plan for dealing with risks and an analysis of the expected value of the risk, that were considered in relation to the professional directives, and if these are available to him – data on the cost of the possible security alternatives as against the benefit from them.
(i)The Advisory Committee may exempt the authorised officer from transmitting documents or from addressing the particulars listed in subsection (h), in whole or in part, at its discretion.
(j)The Advisory Committee shall operate in accordance with the following timetable:
(1)within 15 days of the date on which the authorised officer transmitted the documents as referred to in subsection (h), the public body may, on its own initiative, transmit to the Advisory Committee, with a copy to the authorised officer, a cost assessment of the implementation of the examined professional directives and a review of the possible economic effects of the directives; in addition, the Advisory Committee may request from the public body a review comparing international practice regarding professional directives in force among developed countries in the world, with respect to the security needs of similar public bodies;
(2)the Advisory Committee shall notify the authorised officer in writing, within 30 days of the date on which it received the documents as referred to in subsection (h), whether it intends to advise him on the matter of the examined professional directives;
(3)where the Advisory Committee has notified the authorised officer of its intention to advise him as referred to in paragraph (2), it shall transmit to him its opinion on the matter of the directives within 90 days of the date on which it received the documents as referred to in subsection (h);
(4)where the Advisory Committee has not notified the authorised officer of its intention to advise him or has notified him that it does not intend to advise him as aforesaid, within 30 days, or has not transmitted its opinion to him within 90 days of the date of receipt of the documents as referred to in subsection (h), the authorised officer shall issue the professional directives to the public body without the Advisory Committee's opinion.
(k)Where the authorised officer finds that there is security urgency in issuing the directives, he may issue professional directives of the types listed in subsection (e) even without consulting with the Advisory Committee, provided that he submits the directives to the Advisory Committee within 180 days of the issuance of the directives, and the Advisory Committee shall be entitled to transmit an opinion as referred to in subsection (b).
A public body that is a licensable business§
12.
Where the public body is a licensable business under the Business Licensing Law, 5728–1968, the business licence shall be deemed to have been conditioned also on compliance with the provisions of this Law.
Appointment of a security officer in a public body§
13.
(a)A public body shall appoint one or more security officers, upon the requirement of a competent officer and with his approval; such a requirement shall be given after the competent officer has found that, for the purpose of carrying out security operations in the public body, the appointment of a security officer is necessary.
(b)A request for approval of the appointment of a candidate to serve as a security officer in a public body shall be submitted in writing to the competent officer by the security co-ordinator of that public body.
(c)The competent officer shall approve the fitness of a candidate to serve as a security officer if the conditions referred to in section 4(c)(1), (6) and (8) are met in respect of him, and one of the following:
(1)he holds a licence under section 18(b) of the Private Investigators and Security Services Law, 5732-1972 or holds an authorisation under section 19(b) of that Law;
(2)he holds a licence or authorisation certificate to carry a firearm as referred to in section 4 of the Firearms Law, 5709-1949.
(d)The competent officer shall notify the security co-ordinator in the same public body of his decision regarding the fitness of a candidate as a security officer in a public body.
(e)A candidate whose fitness as a security officer has been approved by the competent officer as referred to in subsection (c) shall not be appointed unless he has undergone professional training in the field of security and in the field of the powers vested in him as referred to in section 13a, provided that no change has occurred in his fitness conditions as referred to in subsection (c).
(f)The provisions of section 5(b)(2) shall apply to the approval of professional training as referred to in subsection (e).
Powers of a security officer§
13a.
A security officer shall have the powers set out in section 3 for the purpose of carrying out security operations, and shall act in accordance with the instructions of the security co-ordinator.
Appointment certificate§
14.
(a)A security co-ordinator or a security officer shall not exercise the powers vested in him under this Law unless he holds a certificate signed by a competent officer confirming his appointment as a security co-ordinator or as a security officer (in this section – an appointment certificate); with respect to the bodies listed in the Second Schedule, an appointment certificate of a security co-ordinator shall be signed by a police officer and a Shin Bet representative, and an appointment certificate of a security officer – by a police officer; with respect to bodies listed in both the Second Schedule and the Fifth Schedule, an appointment certificate of a security co-ordinator shall also be signed by a representative of the National Cyber Directorate; with respect to a body listed both in Part 1 of the Sixth Schedule and in another Schedule to this Law, the appointment certificate of a security co-ordinator shall be signed by all the competent officers relevant to that body, and with respect to a body listed both in Part 2 of the Sixth Schedule and in another Schedule to this Law – by all such competent officers together, except for the IDF representative.
(a1)The validity of an appointment certificate of a security co-ordinator shall be three years from the date of its issue, and the validity of an appointment certificate of a security officer shall be one year from the date of its issue, and this for as long as the holder of the certificate serves in the role of security co-ordinator or security officer in the same public body; the security co-ordinator may extend the validity of an appointment certificate of a security officer, with the approval of the competent officer, for an additional period not exceeding one year, and this for as long as the security officer serves in his role in the same public body.
(b)When exercising powers under this Law, a security co-ordinator or a security officer shall wear his appointment certificate visibly and shall present it upon request.
Supervisory powers§
15.
The competent officer, as well as a police officer or a State employee authorised by one of them, as the case may be, may enter a public body at any time to examine whether the provisions of this Law and the instructions issued thereunder have been complied with in relation to it.
Assault of a security co-ordinator or security officer§
15a.
One who assaults a security co-ordinator or a security officer shall be treated as one who assaults a public servant under section 381(b) of the Penal Law, 5737-1977.
Transitional provisions§
16.
(a)A person who, on the eve of the commencement of this Law, was employed in the role of security co-ordinator for at least three consecutive years during the five years prior to the commencement of this Law, shall be deemed to fulfil the provisions set out in section 4(c)(3) and (4).
(b)Notwithstanding the provisions of section 2, a public body that employed a security co-ordinator on the eve of the commencement of this Law may continue to employ him as a security co-ordinator for 12 months from the date of commencement of this Law, even if the conditions referred to in sections 4 and 5 have not been fulfilled in relation to him.
Implementation and regulations§
17.
(a)The Minister is responsible for the implementation of this Law and may, in consultation with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence and with the approval of the National Security Committee of the Knesset, make Regulations on any matter relating to its implementation.
(b)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), Regulations concerning information security and the security of critical computerised systems shall be made by the Prime Minister, in consultation with the Minister and with the approval of the National Security Committee of the Knesset; if the Prime Minister has directed as referred to in section 21, Regulations with respect to the bodies listed in items 2 and 3 of the First Schedule shall also be made with the consent of the Minister of Defence.
(c)The amount specified in the definition of "budgetary cost" shall be updated on 1 January of each year in accordance with the rate of change in the Consumer Price Index published by the Central Bureau of Statistics, and for this purpose the update of amounts under the provisions of section 3c(e) of Basic Law: State Economy shall be deemed to have been made also for the purpose of this definition, so long as no other amount has been prescribed under section 3c(d) of that Basic Law.
Amendment of the Schedules and limitation on application§
18.
(a)The Minister, in consultation with the relevant Minister as defined in section 10 and with the approval of the National Security Committee of the Knesset, may amend the Schedules on grounds of State security, public order and public safety; an amendment as referred to in the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Schedules also requires the approval of the Prime Minister, and in the Sixth Schedule – also of the Minister of Defence.
(a1)An amendment as referred to in subsection (a) for the purpose of directing a media body with respect to the security of critical computerised systems shall be made only by amending the Fourth Schedule; for this purpose, "media body" – a body listed in the Fourth Schedule or another body that holds a licence as referred to in section 13(a) of the Communications Law (Telecommunications and Broadcasts), 5742–1982, and in respect of which instructions have been given as referred to in section 13(b) of that Law.
(b)The Prime Minister, in consultation with the Minister, may determine, with respect to public bodies listed in the First, Second, Fourth and Fifth Schedules, certain fields of security operations to which the provisions of this Law shall not apply, and with respect to public bodies listed in the Sixth Schedule, the Prime Minister may determine as aforesaid after consulting the Minister of Defence.
(c)With respect to the bodies listed in items 2 and 3 of the First Schedule – if the Prime Minister has directed as referred to in section 21, the Prime Minister's authority under subsections (a) and (b) shall be vested in the Minister of Defence.
Update of the Third Schedule§
19.
By the date of commencement of this Law, the Minister shall bring before the National Security Committee of the Knesset a list of bodies to be included in the Third Schedule to this Law.
Defence establishment enterprises§
20.
An Order of the Minister of Defence defining the list of "defence establishment enterprises" as referred to in item (3) of the First Schedule need not be published, but a notice shall be given to an enterprise of its inclusion in the Order or of its removal therefrom, and notice thereof shall also be given to a sub-committee of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee of the Knesset whose sessions are classified.
Amendment of the definition of competent officer§
21.
Notwithstanding the provisions of section 1, the Prime Minister may, with the consent of the Minister of Defence, direct that a competent officer with respect to the bodies listed in sections 2 and 3 of the First Schedule shall be a person appointed by the person responsible for security in the defence establishment (hereinafter – MaLMaB representative); if the Prime Minister has so directed – wherever this Law refers to the General Security Service, it shall read "MaLMaB representative" with respect to those bodies; a direction of the Prime Minister under this section may be given with respect to part of the powers of the competent officer.
Application of the Law to the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations§
21a.
(a)This Law shall apply to the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations, with the following modifications:
(1)the head of the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations, or a person authorised by him to do so, shall serve as the competent officer and shall appoint a security co-ordinator and a security officer in the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations;
(2)the security co-ordinator in the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations shall be responsible for the organisation and implementation of physical security operations, information security operations and operations for the security of critical computerised systems, as well as the supervision of those operations;
(3)for the purpose of section 4(c)(3), a command course of the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations shall also be recognised;
(4)for the purpose of section 4(d), only the provisions of paragraph (1) shall apply;
(5)the provisions of sections 8, 10a and 15 shall not apply to the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations.
(b)The head of the Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations shall establish control and supervision procedures for the exercise of powers by a security co-ordinator and a security officer appointed under this section.
Application of the Law to the National Cyber Directorate§
21b.
(a)This Law shall apply to the National Cyber Directorate, with the following modifications:
(1)the head of the National Cyber Directorate, or a person authorised by him to do so, shall serve as the competent officer and shall appoint a security co-ordinator and a security officer in the National Cyber Directorate;
(2)the security co-ordinator in the National Cyber Directorate shall be responsible for the organisation and implementation of physical security operations, information security operations and operations for the security of critical computerised systems, as well as the supervision of those operations;
(3)the provisions of sections 10a and 15 shall not apply to the National Cyber Directorate for the purpose of this section.
(b)(Repealed).
22.§
The text was incorporated in the State Comptroller Law [Consolidated Version], 5718–1958.
Bodies in the Fourth Schedule or the Fifth Schedule – special provisions§
22a.
The obligation to appoint a security co-ordinator as referred to in section 2 and the obligation to appoint security officers as referred to in section 13 shall not apply to a public body listed only in the Fourth Schedule or only in the Fifth Schedule; if security co-ordinators or security officers have been appointed in such bodies other than by virtue of the provisions of this Law, the powers under this Law shall not be vested in them and the provisions relating to security co-ordinators and security officers under this Law shall not apply to them.
Provisions with respect to bodies listed in the Second Schedule and in the Fifth Schedule§
22b.
(a)With respect to information security operations in a body listed both in the Second Schedule and in the Fifth Schedule, the following provisions shall apply:
(1)with respect to information security operations at a classification level up to "Restricted", the competent officer shall be the representative of the National Cyber Directorate, but he shall be responsible for directing such a body in accordance with the principles under the General Security Service Law, 5762-2002 concerning the protection of classified information;
(2)with respect to operations for the security of classified information at a classification level higher than "Restricted", the competent officer shall be the representative of the National Cyber Directorate, but he shall be responsible for directing such a body in accordance with the instructions of the General Security Service concerning the protection of classified information.
Application in the Area§
23.
The provisions of this Law shall also apply to public bodies operating in the Area as defined in the Law for the Extension of the Validity of Emergency Regulations (Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip – Jurisdiction over Offences and Legal Assistance), 5728–1967.
Commencement§
24.
This Law shall commence one year from the date of its publication.
Need to cite this law in a foreign court?
Eli Shimony Israeli Attorneys-at-Law provides certified Expert Legal Opinions on Israeli law within 24–48 hours, accepted by courts worldwide.
Contact Us →Read the entire law on one page — continuous text, no page breaks, plus PDF downloads.
LawCriminal LawAdministrative Law
חוק להסדרת הבטחון בגופים ציבוריים, התשנ"ח–1998
Public Bodies Security Law
Security in Public Bodies Law
Regulation of Security Law
Public Sector Security Law
Israel Security Arrangements Law
Hatztarchei Bitachon Law
Public Bodies Protection Law
Government Security Regulations
Institutional Security Law
Public Administration Security