Bring up website accessibility in Israel and almost every business owner says the same sentence: "That does not apply to me, my revenue is small."
Usually it is not true. And the gap between what people believe and what the regulations say is exactly where businesses get caught.
Two thresholds, not one.
This is where the confusion starts, and it is confusion that costs money. The regulations distinguish between websites by when they were built.
- A website that existed before 26 October 2017 — obligated if it provides a service or information about a service, and its average annual revenue over the preceding three years exceeds ₪1,000,000. Below that, it is automatically exempt, with no approval needed.
- A website launched after 27 October 2017 — obligated if average annual revenue exceeds ₪100,000.
Read that second number again. One hundred thousand shekels of revenue, not one million. A site built in the last five or six years, for a business turning over more than a hundred thousand a year, is obligated.
Which means the overwhelming majority of newer Israeli websites are obligated, and most of their owners are convinced they are exempt because they heard the number "a million" and never checked which case it applied to.
Even if you genuinely are exempt, one duty remains: publishing accessible ways to contact you for the service.
What the standard actually requires.
Israeli standard IS 5568 at level AA is an adoption of the international WCAG guidelines from the W3C. In practice it comes down to four things:
- Contrast — text you can actually read. A defined ratio between text and background, not "looks fine to me".
- Keyboard navigation — everything on the site reachable without a mouse, and visible focus so you know where you are.
- Correct semantics — headings in a real hierarchy, elements that describe what they are, form fields with labels.
- Alt text — a description for every image, so a screen reader can read it out.
Note that all four are properties of the code, not of the presentation. Which leads straight to the next point.
Why an accessibility widget is not enough.
This is the part businesses most often pay for twice.
An accessibility widget — the floating button that enlarges text and switches contrast — is a layer bolted onto the site. It changes what you see. It does not change the structure underneath.
If the site was built without a heading hierarchy, without alt text and without keyboard access, the widget does not fix that. A screen reader still cannot describe the images, and a keyboard user still cannot reach the menu.
A widget is a useful addition, not compliance. Anyone selling you one as a complete solution either does not understand the standard or would rather you did not.
It also explains the cost spread you see in the market: professional remediation typically adds ₪1,000–10,000. That wide range is not arbitrary — retrofitting a site built without accessibility in mind is expensive, because things have to be taken apart and rebuilt. Building an accessible site from the start adds almost nothing.
The accessibility statement — the most forgotten requirement.
Beyond the site itself, the regulations require an accessibility statement page. It is not generic text you copy — there is a list of what it must contain:
- The accessibility level achieved (e.g. AA)
- Which browsers and tools it was tested with
- Contact details for the organisation's accessibility coordinator
- A summary of the main adaptations made
- Physical premises accessibility arrangements, if any
- Event accessibility arrangements, where relevant
- Any exemptions or easements granted
- The statement date and the date it was last updated
Without this page, even a fully accessible site does not meet the requirements. It is also the first thing anyone checks.
What it costs not to do this.
Two routes, both real.
Civil claims, including class actions. Israel has an active litigation culture around web accessibility, and it is not aimed only at large corporations. Fines reach up to ₪50,000.
But there are 60 days first. The dispute resolution process requires written notice and an opportunity to fix before going to court. Businesses that receive a notice and fix within that window usually end the matter there. Those that ignore it do not.
What to do now, in this order.
If you do not know where you stand, this is the order I would check in.
- Work out which threshold applies to you. When was the site built — before or after October 2017? And what is your average revenue over the last three years? Those two questions decide whether you are obligated at all.
- Check whether you have an accessibility statement. If not, that is the cheapest and fastest gap to close.
- Check whether all you have is a widget. If the answer is yes and there is nothing underneath, you are paying for reassurance rather than compliance.
- Navigate your own site using Tab only. No mouse. If you cannot reach the menu or submit the contact form, that is your answer.
That last check takes two minutes, costs nothing, and usually reveals more than any report.
Accessibility is not a line item you add at the end — it is a property of how the site was built. Which is why it is included in everything we build rather than sold as an extra: a site built accessible from the start costs almost nothing more, and one that was not costs twice.