On 31.05.2026, Kohelet’s Regulation Department submitted a response to the Knesset bill to amend the Disabled Parking Law 5754-1993.

The response warns that the proposed amendment to create a tiered system of disabled parking permits based on the type of disability may address only part of the problem created by the unprecedented proliferation of such permits, since the phenomenon has long since extended beyond the issue of impaired access to parking spaces designated for persons with disabilities. Parking on sidewalks and in areas intended for pedestrians has become so widespread that local authorities have often been forced to install protective bollards and other physical barriers along entire streets.

Israel’s exceptionally high road congestion together with its generous parking benefits are both exceptional by Western standards, and have therefore created a strong incentive to obtain a disabled parking permit. Today, approximately 665,000 vehicles, representing around 21% of all privately owned vehicles in Israel, are registered as being associated with such permits.

There is a concern that the proposed amendment does not address the loopholes that have made it easy to obtain disabled parking permits. Should it be decided to establish a tiered system of parking permits, it must be accompanied by clear medical eligibility criteria for the lower tiers as well as the higher, together with a reform of the permit issuance process that will ensure that permits cannot be issued without an in-person medical examination and compliance with the statutory eligibility criteria established by law.

The response in accompanied by two charts, the first showing the ratio of the number of vehicles to the length of the road network, and the second comparing parking benefits for persons with disabilities across different countries.

See the full response [Hebrew]