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RR RUEHROV
DE RUEHTV #0699/01 0650354
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 060354Z MAR 07
FM AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV
TO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9790
INFO RUEHDS/AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA 0740
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 2555
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 1015
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0781
RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST 1562
RUEHCH/AMEMBASSY CHISINAU 0154
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0333
RUEHRY/AMEMBASSY CONAKRY 0010
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0438
RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV 0004
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 0244
RUEHSK/AMEMBASSY MINSK 0120
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 1906
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0306
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT 0180
RUWDQAA/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 12 TEL AVIV 000699 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, NEA/RA, USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: GTIP ASEC ELAB IS KCRM KFRD KJUS KWMN PHUM
PREF, SMIG 
SUBJECT: ISRAEL 2007 TIP REPORT, PART 1 OF 2 
 
REF: 2006 STATE 202745 
 
¶1. (SBU) The following is post's input for the 2007 
Trafficking in Persons Report.  Embassy point of contact is 
Alan Holst, telephone (972) (3) 519-7437, fax 519-7484, email 
holstar@state.gov.  The Government of Israel (GOI) has 
provided extensive written responses to post's questions on 
trafficking in the past, and is working diligently to provide 
complete answers this year as well.  However, the GOI 
official in charge of collecting and editing answers from 
various branches of the government said that they need 
additional time to complete their response, which they 
anticipate will be ready by mid-March.  As such, this cable 
has been prepared without the normal level of feedback from 
the GOI.  Any reports received from the GOI or other sources 
after the deadline will be forwarded immediately to G/TIP. 
The following are post responses to the questions presented 
in reftel. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
Overview of a country's activities to eliminate trafficking 
in persons 
--------------------------------------------- --------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The following answers respond to questions in 
paragraph 27, section A of the instructions cable. 
 
QUESTION 1:  Is the country a country of origin, transit, or 
destination for internationally trafficked men, women, or 
children? 
 
ANSWER:  Israel is a country of destination for 
internationally trafficked men and women. 
 
QUESTION 2:  Provide, where possible, numbers or estimates 
for each group; how they were trafficked, to where, and for 
what purpose. 
 
ANSWER:  GOI input pending. 
 
QUESTION 3:  Does the trafficking occur within the country's 
borders? 
 
ANSWER:  Yes. 
 
QUESTION 4:  Does it occur in territory outside of the 
government's control (e.g. in a civil war situation)? 
 
ANSWER:  No. 
 
QUESTION 5:  Are any estimates or reliable numbers available 
as to the extent or magnitude of the problem? 
 
ANSWER:  NGOs report a sharp decline in the number of women 
trafficked for the purposes of prostitution.  Estimates of 
labor trafficking vary widely, from almost none to thousands. 
 Histadrut, the Israeli trade union congress, reported that 
Israel does not face a problem of trafficking regarding 
migrant workers, saying that if such workers face problems of 
rights deprivations, i.e. non-payment of wages, they can 
complain against their employers and attain their full labor 
rights and benefits.  Histadrut said that some migrant 
workers are discriminated against regarding their wages and 
work conditions in comparison to their Israeli counterparts 
but Histadrut does not define this as trafficking or forced 
labor. 
 
GOI input pending. 
 
TEL AVIV 00000699  002 OF 012 
 
 
 
QUESTION 6:  What is (are) the source(s) of available 
information on trafficking in persons or what plans are in 
place (if any) to undertake documentation of trafficking. 
 
ANSWER:  NGO estimates are well considered, but lack 
empirical support.  To quote NGO Isha L'Isha - Haifa Feminist 
Center (Isha L'Isha), there are no statistics.  A Hebrew 
University Institute of Criminology grant proposal to produce 
an objective, independent, comprehensive study on the scope 
of trafficking was not recommended for funding by the State 
Department.  GOI input pending. 
 
QUESTION 7:  How reliable are the numbers and these sources? 
 
ANSWER:  GOI input pending.  NGO sources are reliable, but 
their numbers are only estimates. 
 
QUESTION 8:  Are certain groups of persons more at risk of 
being trafficked (e.g. women and children, boys versus girls, 
certain ethnic groups, refugees, etc.)? 
 
ANSWER:  According to Isha L'Isha, young people were at risk 
for sex trafficking.  Isha L'Isha said that the Social 
Affairs Ministry was aware of 17,000 girls at risk, and that 
young boys were also at risk but were not reported in the 
official figures.  For labor trafficking, NGO Kav LaOved 
reported that female caregivers and Thai agricultural workers 
were at highest risk.  Kav LaOved also voiced concern about 
Nepali migrant workers because of the lack of Nepali 
diplomatic representation in Israel, which greatly 
complicated the passport process and put the migrant workers 
at much greater risk for exploitation through passport 
confiscation.  GOI input pending. 
 
¶3. (SBU) The following answers respond to questions in 
paragraph 27, section B of the instructions cable. 
 
QUESTION 1:  Please provide a general overview of the 
trafficking situation in the country and any changes since 
the last TIP Report (e.g. changes in direction). 
 
ANSWER:  Israel made considerable strides in the past year. 
In June 2006 Rachel Gershuni of the Ministry of Justice was 
appointed as the official anti-trafficking coordinator for 
all government agencies.  In October 2006 the Knesset 
approved amendments to the trafficking law that expanded the 
definition to include labor trafficking.  In December 2006 
Gershuni established a team of NGO representatives and 
government officials to come up with recommendations for a 
national plan to combat trafficking. In January 2007 a 
multi-agency government committee approved a national plan to 
combat trafficking that addresses prevention, prosecution and 
protection.  In January 2007 the Israel Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice and 
NGO Isha L'Isha, held a seminar - the first of its kind in 
Israel - on combating trafficking in persons that was 
attended by ambassadors, consuls and diplomatic 
representatives from Central and Eastern Europe and Central 
Asia. 
 
The GOI coordinator has started training judges and other 
government officials to recognize and deal with trafficking 
problems.  Following a meeting with the Director of the 
Courts Administration in January, the GOI coordinator 
prepared a document describing the new comprehensive 
trafficking law in order to disseminate knowledge about its 
main points among the judges.  NGOs reported improved police 
 
TEL AVIV 00000699  003 OF 012 
 
 
attitudes concerning trafficking following their sessions to 
sensitize authorities to the problem.  NGO Isha L'Isha 
estimated that the scope of trafficking in foreign women into 
Israel for prostitution purposes has dropped drastically, and 
that police treated victims better than in the past. 
 
NGOs reported several continuing problems: bottlenecks in the 
courts that delay prosecution; inadequate sentencing; 
inadequate compensation for victims; lack of adequate shelter 
space and services, especially for victims of labor 
trafficking; and an internal trafficking problem, of 
undetermined scope, that NGOs said was still treated by 
authorities as a local prostitution issue rather than 
trafficking.  Case of migrant workers whose contracts were 
exchanged between Israeli employers without the workers' 
knowledge or consent are another problem.  NGOs provided 
anecdotal evidence of suspected cases of trafficking that 
they had brought to the attention of the government that were 
not acted upon, but numbers remain elusive.  All NGOs praised 
the GOI coordinator for her efforts, and asked that the 
government allocate greater (adequate) resources for her to 
do her job.  Post notes that neither the government nor NGOs 
have had adequate time since the passage of the new 
comprehensive anti-trafficking law in October 2006 to gauge 
its effect on labor trafficking. 
 
QUESTION 2:  Also briefly explain the political will to 
address trafficking in persons. 
 
ANSWER:  Political will in Israel to address trafficking in 
persons improved dramatically over the past year.  This 
positive change is reflected in the Government and Knesset 
focus on enacting new legislation and in increased media 
attention.  For example, on one "red letter day" Israel radio 
carried two extended interviews on TIP, one with Rachel 
Gershuni, the other with Zehava Gal-on, the Knesset member 
most responsible for the new trafficking legislation.  The 
next step will be whether that new attitude translates into 
increased resources to combat trafficking and more vigorous 
prosecution and sentencing. 
 
QUESTION 3:  Other items to address may include: What kind of 
conditions are the victims trafficked into? 
 
ANSWER:  With the decline in sex trafficking, NGOs reported 
trafficking was generally for the purpose of labor.  They 
said that victims were subject to poor living conditions, 
unreasonably long hours of work, withholding or underpayment 
of salaries and benefits, and in some cases sexual abuse, 
especially among caregivers. 
 
QUESTION 4:  Which populations are targeted by the 
traffickers? 
 
ANSWER:  For prostitution, Isha L'Isha reported that except 
for 20 trafficking victims that arrived via Egypt, all other 
victims they encountered were already in Israel before 2006. 
For internal trafficking, NGO Machon Toda'a estimated that 
the groups at risk were new immigrants with poor means of 
survival, especially from Russia and Ethiopia.  For labor, 
Kav LaOved reported that victims are mainly migrant workers 
from Thailand, China, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, 
Nepal, Moldova, Turkey, and Romania.  Kav LaOved also 
reported an internal trafficking problem with Thai 
agricultural workers being bought and sold between Israeli 
employers in the field, without the workers' consent, and the 
NGO suggested that there might be a similar problem with 
Palestinian victims as well.  Kav LaOved estimated that 40 
 
TEL AVIV 00000699  004 OF 012 
 
 
per cent of trafficking victims were Thai agricultural 
workers. 
 
QUESTION 5:  Who are the traffickers? 
 
ANSWER:  NGOs reported that organized crime elements had 
become the dominant traffickers in Israel. 
 
QUESTION 6:  What methods are used to approach victims?  (Are 
they offered lucrative jobs, sold by their families, 
approached by friends of friends, etc.?) 
 
ANSWER:  Isha L'Isha reported that many methods were used to 
approach victims during the reporting period: forced 
marriages; women sold by their families; lucrative job 
offers; women approached by a family friend; women approached 
by a friend recently returned from Israel; and women 
approached by a female friend who persuaded the victim to 
join her. 
 
Labor traffickers often used job placement services, 
including official agencies in countries like China and 
Turkey.  Even if the work was legitimate, some employers 
exploited the victims because debts owed to the agency that 
arranged the job put the victims in a position where they 
felt they could not risk losing the income required to pay 
back the fee.  Sometimes the victim's community had paid the 
fees, and the debt therefore had additional social 
consequences.  Machon Toda'a reported internal trafficking of 
young women approached by "lover boys" who slowly introduced 
them into the sex industry. 
 
QUESTION 7:  What methods are used to move the victims (e.g., 
are false documents being used?) 
 
ANSWER:  Our sources agreed that most victims entered Israel 
with valid visas.  Isha L'Isha reported that false documents 
and false marriages were used to move some victims.  Kav 
LaOved reported that at least 25 per cent of migrant workers 
entering Israel as caregivers -- mostly from Sri Lanka, 
India, Nepal and the Philippines -- were victims of "flying 
visas" where the victims arrived in Israel after paying 
thousands of dollars in "recruitment fees" only to find no 
employer waiting for them.  According to Kav LaOved, 
deception as to the working conditions most often occurred in 
the country of origin. 
 
¶4. (SBU) The following answers respond to questions in 
paragrah 27, section C of the instructions cable. 
 
QUESTION 1:  What are the limitations on the government's 
ability to address this problem in practice? 
 
ANSWER:  Budget constraints remain an issue, and the summer 
2006 war in Lebanon diverted resources from all areas of 
government spending, including combating trafficking. 
Security concerns drew police attention from trafficking and 
other crimes to preventing terrorism.  Historically 
problematic political relations with neighboring countries 
made cooperation on trafficking issues difficult.  Issues at 
the border with Egypt raised concerns for trafficking as well 
as drug smuggling and terrorism.  Lack of diplomatic 
representation in Israel by some source countries prevented 
some victims from seeking help. 
 
QUESTION 2:  For example, is funding for police or other 
institutions inadequate? 
 
 
TEL AVIV 00000699  005 OF 012 
 
¶7. (SBU) The following answers respond to questions in 
paragraph 28, section B of the instructions cable. 
 
QUESTION 1:  Which government agencies are involved in 
anti-trafficking efforts and which agency, if any, has the 
lead? 
 
ANSWER:  The government-wide anti-trafficking coordinator is 
from the Ministry of Justice, but many agencies are involved. 
 The committee that established the national plan to combat 
trafficking was comprised of directors-general of the 
ministries of justice, public security, interior, industry, 
trade and labor, foreign affairs, health and welfare, as well 
as the Prime Minister's Office and the police commissioner. 
 
¶8. (SBU) (SBU) The following answers respond to questions in 
paragraph 28, section C of the instructions cable. 
 
QUESTION 1:  Are there, or have there been, government-run 
 
TEL AVIV 00000699  006 OF 012 
 
 
anti-trafficking information or education campaigns? 
 
ANSWER:  In January 2007 the Israel Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice and 
NGO Isha L'Isha, held a seminar - the first of its kind in 
Israel - on combating trafficking in persons that was 
attended by ambassadors, consuls and diplomatic 
representatives from Central and Eastern Europe and Central 
Asia.  The GOI coordinator has started training judges and 
other government officials to recognize and deal with 
trafficking problems, and following a meeting with the 
Director of the Courts Administration in January, prepared a 
document describing the new comprehensive trafficking law in 
order to disseminate knowledge about is main points among the 
judges. 
 
QUESTION 2:  If so, briefly describe the campaign(s), 
including their objectives and effectiveness. 
 
ANSWER:  GOI input pending.  Isha L'Isha reported a joint 
program with the government that distributed Russian-language 
fliers in source countries to inform potential victims that 
Israel is a destination country.  Kav LaOved reported that an 
October 30, 2006 meeting at the Ministry of Education reached 
no decision on incorporating lectures on trafficking for 
forced labor into the curriculum. 
 
QUESTION 3:  Do the campaigns target potential trafficking 
victims and/or the demand for trafficking (e.g. "clients" of 
prostitutes or beneficiaries of forced labor)? 
 
ANSWER:  In January 2007 the Israel Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs, in collaboration with the Ministry of Justice and 
NGO Isha L'Isha, held a seminar - the first of its kind in 
Israel - on combating trafficking in persons that was 
attended by ambassadors, consuls and diplomatic 
representatives from Central and Eastern Europe and Central 
Asia.  Further GOI input pending. 
 
¶9. (SBU) The following answers respond to questions in 
paragraph 28, section D of the instructions cable. 
 
QUESTION 1:  Does the government support other programs to 
prevent trafficking? (e.g. to promote women's participation 
in economic decision-making or efforts to keep children in 
school.)  Please explain. 
 
ANSWER:  GOI input pending. 
 
¶10. (SBU) The following answers respond to questions in 
paragraph 28, section E of the instructions cable. 
 
QUESTION 1:  What is the relationship between government 
officials, NGOs, other relevant organizations and other 
elements of civil society on the trafficking issue? 
 
ANSWER:  Although they disagree on the scope of the problem 
and the resources needed to address it, relations are 
generally good between the government and anti-trafficking 
NGOs.  The GOI TIP coordinator gets high marks for her 
efforts from all NGOs.  As mentioned previously, the police 
were complimented for their improved attitudes.  The 
Department of the Interior was cited by several NGOs as the 
one holdover from past official indifference, with their 
intransigence described as systemic rather than the result of 
attitudes transmitted from the current leadership. 
 
NGO Hotline for Migrant Workers (Hotline) reported that 
 
TEL AVIV 00000699  007 OF 012 
 
 
following the passage of the recent comprehensive 
anti-trafficking legislation, the government established two 
inter-ministerial committees, one for sex trafficking and a 
second for labor trafficking.  Hotline said that the GOI 
coordinator was very responsive when Hotline turned to her 
with requests or inquiries related to combating trafficking 
in Israel, and that they were invited to Knesset committee 
meetings related to the issue. 
 
Isha L'Isha reported that NGO representatives were invited to 
cooperate with law enforcement personnel and compare their 
finding on the issue of trafficking in women's patterns 
through immigration.  Isha L'Isha said this brought forward a 
"great leap" in both sides' understanding of the profile of a 
potential trafficking victim. 
 
¶11. (SBU) The following answers respond to questions in 
paragraph 28, section F of the instructions cable. 
 
QUESTION 1:  Does the government monitor immigration and 
emigration patterns for evidence of trafficking? 
 
ANSWER:  GOI input pending. 
 
QUESTION 2:  Do law enforcement agencies screen for potential 
trafficking victims along borders? 
 
ANSWER:  Both the Ministry of the Interior and the 
Immigration Authority compile data on immigration/emigration 
patterns and trends, which they share with police 
intelligence and Border Police officials.  The Ramon Border 
police Unit screens for potential trafficking victims along 
Israel's southern border with Egypt.  Awaiting input on the 
number of individuals identified in the past year through 
this process. 
 
¶12. (SBU) The following answers respond to questions in 
paragraph 28, section G of the instructions cable. 
 
QUESTION 1:  Is there a mechanism for coordination and 
communication between various agencies, internal, 
international, and multilateral on trafficking-related 
matters, such as a multi-agency working group or a task force? 
 
ANSWER:  GOI input pending.  Hotline reported that they 
observed a lack of coordination between the Immigration 
Authority (IA) and the police, saying the IA does not have 
authority to conduct investigations into any issue that is 
not related to illegal residence in Israel, and therefore 
does not work in sufficient coordination with the other 
branches of the police to arrest traffickers and other 
employees of establishments that traffic women for sex.  Isha 
L'Isha has called for a structure to help identify 
trafficking victims. 
 
QUESTION 2:  Does the government have a trafficking in 
persons working group or single point of contact? 
 
ANSWER:  Rachel Gershuni of the Ministry of Justice is the 
government's anti-trafficking coordinator. 
 
QUESTION 3:  Does the government have a public corruption 
task force? 
 
ANSWER:  Hotline reported that the Ministry of Justice Police 
Investigations Unit is authorized to investigate cases of 
crimes committed by policeman.  Hotline also reported that 
the State Comptroller spoke out in his reports against the 
 
TEL AVIV 00000699  008 OF 012 
 
 
mistreatment of migrant workers and the harmful effects of 
the binding policy on the workers.  GOI input pending. 
 
¶13. (SBU) The following answers respond to questions in 
paragraph 28, section H of the instructions cable. 
 
QUESTION 1:  Does the government have a national plan of 
action to address trafficking in persons? 
 
ANSWER:  The GOI drafted in January a national plan to combat 
human trafficking for the purposes of slavery and forced 
labor, focusing on prosecution, prevention and protection. 
The committee stated five priorities during the first stage: 
dividing the work between enforcement agencies in order to 
increase the number of indictments against employers who use 
slavery or coercion; developing criteria for identifying 
victims of slavery; launching an information campaign in the 
workers' countries of origin to inform them of their rights; 
helping victims repatriate to their countries of origin; and 
formulating a package of services for victims, including safe 
houses and health care. 
 
Five teams have been tasked with designing within the next 
three or four months operative steps to implement these 
objectives.  The subcommittee that submitted the 
recommendations was appointed as a permanent subcommittee 
that will meet periodically to deal with problems and draft 
recommendations.  The committee recognized that its 
recommendations may require changes in existing arrangements 
for the employment of foreign workers that "create a climate 
friendly to the development" of trafficking.  The committee 
also emphasized that its recommendations constitute a 
national plan, not 
operational procedures that "will need to be designed in the 
wake of the plan." 
 
Other committee recommendations include consideration of a 
policy that will not allow the entry of foreign workers from 
countries that have no diplomatic representation in Israel, 
clear procedures regarding the transfer of information among 
law enforcement agencies, enforcing existing laws prohibiting 
middleman fees, placement of social workers in detention 
facilities, legal aid to victims of slavery and labor 
trafficking, and heightened supervision of the Egyptian 
border. 
 
QUESTION 2:  If so, which agencies were involved in 
developing it? 
 
ANSWER:  The ministries of justice, public security, 
interior, industry, trade and labor, foreign affairs, health 
and welfare, as well as the Prime Minister's Office and the 
police commissioner. 
 
QUESTION 3:  Were NGOs consulted in the process? 
 
ANSWER:  Yes. 
 
QUESTION 4:  What steps has the government taken to 
disseminate the action plan? 
 
ANSWER:  The GOI sent out a press release explaining the plan. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶14. (SBU) The following answers respond to questions in 
 
TEL AVIV 00000699  009 OF 012 
 
 
paragraph 29, section A of the instructions cable. 
 
For questions A-D, posts should highlight in particular 
whether or not the country has enacted any new legislation 
since the last TIP report. 
 
QUESTION 1:  Does the country have a law specifically 
prohibiting trafficking in persons - both for sexual and 
non-sexual purposes (e.g. forced labor)? 
 
ANSWER:  Yes 
 
QUESTION 2:  If so, please specifically cite the name of the 
law and its date of enactment. 
 
ANSWER:  On October 19, 2006, Israel's Parliament, the 
Knesset, passed a new comprehensive trafficking law entitled 
Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (Legislative 
Amendments) Law, 5766-2006.  The law came into force on 
October 29. 
 
QUESTION 3:  Does the law(s) cover both internal and external 
(transnational) forms of trafficking? 
 
ANSWER:  Yes.  However, NGOs reported that the government 
does not take the issue of internal trafficking seriously. 
Neither NGOs nor the government offered estimates of the 
extent of the internal trafficking problem. 
 
QUESTION 4:  If not, under what other laws can traffickers be 
prosecuted? 
 
ANSWER: see below 
 
QUESTION 5:  For example, are there laws against slavery or 
the exploitation of prostitution by means of force, fraud or 
coercion? 
 
ANSWER: Yes.  Further GOI input pending. 
 
QUESTION 6:  Are there other laws being used in trafficking 
cases? 
 
ANSWER:  GOI input pending. 
 
QUESTION 7:  Are these laws, taken together, adequate to 
cover the full scope of trafficking in persons? 
 
ANSWER:  With the passage of the new amendments criminalizing 
labor trafficking, NGOs reported that the laws are generally 
adequate to combat trafficking in persons.  NGOs indicated 
that the most important improvements they want to see are in 
the enforcement of existing laws and increased support to 
trafficking victims, especially victims of labor trafficking. 
 
 
Hotline opined that that the new anti-trafficking law does 
not cover all situations regarding trafficking in children 
because it does not have a separate definition for 
trafficking in children, although the penalty for trafficking 
children is more severe.  Kav LaOved also said that the 
government has yet to acknowledge the problem of trafficking 
in minors.  Isha L'Isha, on the other hand, reported no 
incidents of trafficking in minors. 
 
NGOs reported that the issue with internal trafficking, 
either for the purpose of prostitution or for the purpose of 
labor, are government awareness of the problem and commitment 
 
TEL AVIV 00000699  010 OF 012 
 
 
to solving it rather than inadequate laws. 
 
QUESTION 8:  Please provide a full inventory of trafficking 
laws, including non-criminal statutes that allow for civil 
penalties against alleged trafficking crimes, e.g. civil 
forfeiture laws and laws against illegal debt. 
 
ANSWER:  GOI input pending. 
 
¶15. (SBU) The following answers respond to questions in 
paragraph 29, section B of the instructions cable. 
 
QUESTION 1:  What are the penalties for trafficking people 
for sexual exploitation? 
 
ANSWER:  GOI input pending. 
 
¶16. (SBU) The following answers respond to questions in 
paragraph 29, section C of the instructions cable -- 
Punishment of Labor Trafficking Offenses. 
 
QUESTION 1:  What are the prescribed and imposed penalties 
for trafficking for labor exploitation, such as forced or 
bonded labor and involuntary servitude? 
 
ANSWER:  GOI input pending. 
 
QUESTION 2:  Do the government's laws provide for criminal 
punishment - i.e. jail time - for labor recruiters in labor 
source countries who engage in recruitment of laborers using 
knowingly fraudulent or deceptive offers that result in 
workers being exploited in the destination country? 
 
ANSWER:  GOI input pending. 
 
QUESTION 3:  For employers or labor agents in labor 
destination countries who confiscate workers' passports or 
travel documents, switch contracts without the worker's 
consent as a means to keep the worker in a state of service, 
or withhold payment of salaries as means of keeping the 
worker in a state of service? 
 
ANSWER:  GOI input pending. 
 
QUESTION 4:  If law(s) prescribe criminal punishments for 
these offenses, what are the actual punishments imposed on 
persons convicted of these offenses? 
 
ANSWER:  Labor trafficking was only criminalized in the new 
law that took effect October 29, 2006. 
 
¶17. (SBU) The following answers respond to questions in 
paragraph 29, section D of the instructions cable. 
 
QUESTION 1:  What are the prescribed penalties for rape or 
forcible sexual assault? 
 
ANSWER:  GOI input pending. 
 
QUESTION 2:  How do they compare to the prescribed and 
imposed penalties for crimes of trafficking for commercial 
sexual exploitation? 
 
ANSWER:  GOI  input pending.  Hotline reported that they 
checked 24 cases in Tel Aviv regional court and found 
prostitution sentences generally higher -- average five years 
compared to three years -- than trafficking cases. 
 
 
TEL AVIV 00000699  011 OF 012 
 
 
¶18. (SBU) The following answers respond to questions in 
paragraph 29, section E of the instructions cable. 
 
QUESTION 1:  Is prostitution legalized or decriminalized? 
 
ANSWER:  Yes. 
 
QUESTION 2:  Specifically, are the activities of the 
prostitute criminalized? 
 
ANSWER:  No. 
 
QUESTION 3:  Are the activities of the brothel 
owner/operator, clients, pimps, and enforcers criminalized? 
 
ANSWER:  Activities associated with prostitution -- such as 
pimping, solicitation, running sex establishments, 
advertising, being a client of a minor, etc. -- are all 
illegal. 
 
QUESTION 4:  Are these laws enforced? 
 
ANSWER:  Yes. 
 
QUESTION 5:  If prostitution is legal and regulated, what is 
the legal minimum age for this activity?  Note that in many 
countries with federalist systems, prostitution laws may be 
covered by state, local, and provincial authorities. 
 
ANSWER:  Minors below the age of 18 may not legally engage in 
prostiution. 
 
¶19. (SBU) The following answers respond to questions in 
paragraph 29, section F of the instructions cable. 
 
QUESTION 1:  Has the government prosecuted any cases against 
traffickers? 
 
ANSWER:  GOI input pending. 
 
QUESTION 2:  If so, provide numbers of investigations, 
prosecutions, convictions, and sentences, including details 
on plea bargains and fines, if relevant and available. 
 
ANSWER:  GOI input pending. 
 
QUESTION 3:  Does the government in a labor source country 
criminally prosecute labor recruiters who recruit laborers 
using knowingly fraudulent or deceptive offers or impose on 
recruited laborers inappropriately high or illegal fees or 
commissions that create a debt bondage condition for the 
laborer? 
 
ANSWER:  N/A 
 
QUESTION 4:  Does the government in a labor destination 
country criminally prosecute employers or labor agents who 
confiscate workers' passports/travel documents, switch 
contracts or terms of employment without the worker's 
consent, use physical or sexual abuse or the threat of such 
abuse to keep workers in a state of service, or withhold 
payment of salaries as a means to keep workers in a state of 
service? 
 
ANSWER:  Too early to tell.  New legislation on labor 
trafficking was just adopted in October 2006. 
 
QUESTION 5:  Are the traffickers serving the time sentenced? 
 
TEL AVIV 00000699  012 OF 012 
 
 
If not, why not?  Please indicate whether the government can 
provide this information, and if not, why not?  (Note: 
complete answers to this section are essential.  End Note) 
 
ANSWER:  According to Hotline, yes.  According to Israeli 
law, convicted parties are eligible to have a third of their 
sentence removed for good behavior. 
 
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