Breaking Update
9,676 Freedom of Information Requests Submitted to Local Authorities
Over 9,600 freedom of information requests were submitted to Israeli local authorities in 2024, marking an 11.5% increase. Jerusalem, Ashdod, and Rishon LeZion.
Jerusalem, 13 January, 2026 (TPS-IL) — The Government Freedom of Information Unit in the Ministry of Justice and the Administration for Special Duties in the Ministry of the Interior published a report reviewing the implementation of the Freedom of Information Law in local authorities in 2024.
According to the report, a total of 9,676 freedom of information requests were submitted to local authorities in 2024. This is an increase of approximately 11.5% compared to 2023. For comparison, 13,956 requests were submitted to government ministries in the same period.
The authorities to which the largest number of requests were submitted are the Jerusalem Municipality, the Ashdod Municipality, and the Rishon LeZion Municipality. A breakdown of all requests found that 78% of the requests were submitted to municipalities and the rest to local and regional councils.
Approximately 60% of the reasons for rejection cited by local authorities were that the information could not be located (50.2%) or the information was not in the authority’s possession (9%).
The government’s Freedom of Information Unit notes that 45 out of 258 authorities (about 17% of all local authorities) did not submit a Freedom of Information report at all, contrary to the law, including the Taiba Municipality (third year in a row), the Ma’ale Adumim Municipality (third year in a row), the Nazareth Municipality (fourth year in a row) and the Shfaram Municipality, and the local councils – Elkana, Lehavim, Arara, Kasiphe, Kiryat Arba, Kiryat Tivon, Karnei Shomron and more.
