The Knesset plenum approved in a second and third reading the bill initiated by Likud MKs Sharen Haskell and David Bitan, which will require every government body – including HMOs – to receive requests and documents via e-mail, thereby ending the demand to send faxes.

This bill has met with many objections from several government ministries that vehemently refused to allow e-mail.

MK Haskell said that “efficient, qualitative and attentive government and public services not only permits openness, growth and improvement in quality of life, but also help to establish and strengthen democracy in Israel.”

She added the move is essential towards improving efficiency towards providing quick and easy government service for everyone.

“Beyond convenience and efficiency, using e-mail will enable the public to transfer and receive documents without printing them, and saving paper is a very important environmental process,” she says, adding “35 percent of all trees worldwide become paper and in the past 30 years, the use of paper has increased by 400 percent. In Israel, more than 900 tons of paper is used each year, and paper production is considered one of the most polluting processes.”

As stated, the approval of the law and its entry into the law books will obligate all public bodies to receive requests and documents by e-mail, and not only by fax. Of course, the elderly or whoever wants to, can still contact by fax.

The public bodies to which the law applies include:

• Government ministries – excluding the Shin Bet, the Intelligence and Special Operations Institute, the Atomic Energy Commission, the Witness Protection Authority, and units and divisions of the Ministry of Defense & its units which do not provide public service.
• Public hospitals
• Kupot Cholim (HMOs)
• The IDF – regarding units providing public service
• Office of the President of the State
• The Knesset Administration
• State Comptroller’s Office
• The courts
• Batei Din
• Ho’tzaot L’Poel (Law Enforcement & Collection System Authority)
• ·The Center for the Collection of Fines, Fees and Expenses and other bodies having judicial authority by law, all in matters other than judicial or quasi-judicial proceedings
• Israel Police – regarding units or police stations providing public service
• National Fire & Rescue Authority – regarding units providing public service
• Israel Prisons Service – regarding units providing public service
• Municipality, local councils or regional councils
• A local corporation in which at least half of the capital or at least half of the voting power therein is held, directly or indirectly, by a local authority or by another local corporation
• Government corporations
• Israel Postal Company

The public bodies to which the law does not apply:

• Banks
• Credit card companies
• Communication companies

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)