State Comptroller Says Municipal Enforcement Cameras Infringe Privacy

Israel’s State Comptroller on Tuesday released his annual report on local government, warning that municipalities’ use of enforcement cameras for parking violations has produced serious failures that can amount to a severe invasion of privacy. The report examined Herzliya, Hadera, Ramat Gan and Binyamina, which together issued about 120,000 tickets worth roughly NIS 44 million. Herzliya accounted for about NIS 28 million, and Ramat Gan for about NIS 14 million.

The municipalities said they no longer use the banned cameras, after a December 2025 court ruling and an April 2026 decision by the Privacy Protection Authority prohibited using LPR cameras to enforce parking in blue-white and red-white zones without explicit legal authorization. Even so, the comptroller found that some authorities kept photos in sufficient quality to identify passersby, and some continued recording public spaces even after stopping parking enforcement. He also said municipalities failed to publish their enforcement policies as required, and that some repurposed parking-enforcement cameras for security in a manner that may be unlawful.

State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman said local authorities must use enforcement cameras “in a proportionate and fair manner” and only for traffic-enforcement purposes, while protecting the privacy of people in public spaces.

A separate section of the report found lax enforcement of private cars driving in bus lanes. Only 6 of 38 local authorities enforced those offenses, even though Transport Minister Miri Regev has had the power since late 2022 to require municipalities to do so. The Transport Ministry, the report said, did not advance the process of approaching municipalities and did not take steps to compel them. Englman recommended pushing local authorities to increase enforcement and, if necessary, having the ministry enforce it itself.

The issue has also drawn political attention after a Channel 13 investigation last month and a Knesset Economic Affairs Committee discussion on huge fines issued by Tel Aviv to two-wheeled vehicles. Acting committee chair MK Yaakov Asher of Shas said it was unacceptable for people to receive a single batch of tickets issued months earlier, and proposed a mechanism under which no further tickets could be written if a citation is not delivered within 10 days. He added that some cities enforce nothing while others enforce only partially, and said ministries are acting without coordination or a clear plan on a matter of life and death.