Website Accessibility in Israel (IS 5568): What the Law Requires and How to Comply

Website accessibility is not just a legal obligation in Israel — it's also opening the door to a large audience of users who otherwise couldn't use your site. We'll briefly explain what the law requires under IS 5568, what an accessible site actually needs, and why it pays off far beyond mere compliance.

The law and the standard, briefly

Under the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (Accessibility Adjustments to Service), 2013, websites that provide a service to the public are required to be accessible and to publish an accessibility statement (there are exemptions, for example for an exempt dealer and for a business whose average annual turnover does not exceed ₪100,000). The Israeli standard IS 5568 defines the requirements, and it is based on the international WCAG 2.0 guidelines at level AA.

What does an accessible site need in practice?

• Full keyboard navigation — the entire site can be operated without a mouse.
• Screen-reader support — valid semantic structure and alternative text for images.
• Sufficient color contrast between text and background.
• Resizable text without breaking the design.
• A "skip to content" link and clear labels for buttons and forms.
• An accessibility statement, with accessibility coordinator details where one must be appointed.

The business upside beyond the law

According to the World Health Organization (2023), about 16% of the world's population, or 1 in 6 people, experience a significant disability. An accessible site expands your customer base, improves the experience for everyone, and can even support organic SEO (for example, alt text helps Google understand images). In other words — accessibility is also a smart business investment, not just an obligation.

Accessibility statement and coordinator

An accessible site includes a dedicated accessibility statement that details the level of accessibility, the adjustments made, what has not been made accessible and the alternatives, and how to report accessibility issues (and, where an accessibility coordinator must be appointed, the coordinator's details). It's part of the requirement — and also a trust signal to visitors. Here's what our accessibility statement looks like.

Sources

• Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (Accessibility Adjustments to Service), 2013 — Wikisource (in Hebrew)
• Kol-Zchut: exemption from the duty to make websites and apps accessible (in Hebrew; Internet Archive copy)
• Kol-Zchut: making websites and apps accessible to people with disabilities (in Hebrew; Internet Archive copy)
• World Health Organization: Disability (fact sheet)
• Google Search Central: SEO Starter Guide
• Google Search Central: Image SEO Best Practices