Six years after Israel criminalized the purchase of prostitution services, a State Comptroller report has found that enforcement remains limited, with police action concentrated in a small number of districts and government agencies divided over the treatment of trafficking victims. The findings, published Tuesday and reported by Haaretz, highlight gaps between the goals of the law and its implementation, including concerns that weak enforcement and administrative practices could push vulnerable victims back into prostitution.
The report examined government efforts since the 2020 introduction of the ban, which imposed a fine of 2,000 shekels ($590) on people caught purchasing or attempting to purchase prostitution services, with higher penalties for repeat offenses. The legislation was designed as part of a broader effort to reduce demand for prostitution and combat exploitation and human trafficking.
However, according to the State Comptroller, enforcement measures have declined significantly in recent years. Police shut down only 42 of more than 1,300 brothels known to authorities during 2024 and 2025, representing about three percent of the identified locations.
The report stated that many police stations had done little or nothing to address the issue, despite the existence of a dedicated enforcement protocol intended to ensure consistent action nationwide. Instead, enforcement largely depended on the initiative of individual stations, creating uneven implementation across the country.
The decline was also reflected in the number of fines issued to those purchasing prostitution services. Between 2022 and 2023, police-issued fines dropped from 3,004 to 902, a decrease of about 70 percent. The decline continued between 2023 and 2024, when the number fell again from 902 to 378, representing an additional 58 percent drop.
The State Comptroller found that administrative enforcement activity between 2021 and 2025 was “negligible or, at most, very limited” in four of Israel’s seven police districts. Nearly all fines issued during that period — about 99 percent — were concentrated in three districts: Tel Aviv, central Israel and the coastal district, which includes Haifa and surrounding areas.
According to the report, enforcement was carried out almost entirely by three police stations among hundreds nationwide. The findings also pointed to limited resources dedicated to combating human trafficking. As of July 2025, only one police officer was assigned to the police’s human trafficking unit, despite earlier warnings from police, the National Security Ministry and the U.S. State Department about the need for additional staffing.
The Tel Aviv District remained the only police district with a dedicated unit handling human trafficking cases. Although police decided in September 2023 to expand similar units, the report found that those additional units had still not been established by August 2025.
The report also examined rehabilitation programs available to people fined under the prostitution law. Instead of paying fines, individuals can participate in educational workshops or individual counseling sessions intended to discourage future purchases of prostitution services. But between 2022 and 2025, only 111 people completed the program, accounting for two percent of all those fined.
The State Comptroller noted that participants who completed the rehabilitation program showed a significantly greater willingness to stop purchasing prostitution services, but said the low participation rate weakened the impact of the measure.
Beyond enforcement against buyers, the report reviewed government efforts to address online prostitution and exploitation. Israel passed legislation in 2017 allowing courts to block websites used for soliciting prostitution, pimping and advertising sex work. Despite the increasing role of the internet in prostitution activity, only 95 website-blocking orders had been issued since the law took effect.
The report also raised concerns about the treatment of trafficking victims by the Population and Immigration Authority. Inspectors from the authority were sent to determine whether trafficking victims had returned to prostitution, even though the report stated that such monitoring was outside their legal authority.
The Justice Ministry’s Legal Aid Department argued that the authority’s conduct harmed trafficking victims, risked pushing them back into prostitution, complicated criminal cases and damaged Israel’s national interests. The department said the actions contradicted government decisions and existing procedures.
The government coordinator for combating human trafficking also criticized the authority’s approach, including what the report described as systematic denial of work permits for trafficking victims. According to the coordinator, these practices were unreasonable and could contribute to conditions that increase vulnerability.
The disputes between government bodies led to administrative appeals and civil lawsuits by the Legal Aid Department to compel the Population and Immigration Authority to issue residency permits in accordance with the law. The report said these legal proceedings consumed public resources, failed to resolve the underlying issues and could have been avoided.
The coordinator warned that shortcomings identified in enforcement and victim protection could affect Israel’s standing in the U.S. State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report and potentially expose the country to sanctions.
The State Comptroller’s findings come as authorities continue to assess the effectiveness of Israel’s prostitution law six years after its implementation. The report documents ongoing challenges in police enforcement, rehabilitation efforts, interagency cooperation and the protection of trafficking victims under the current system.
