All Major Israeli Political Party Websites Fail Accessibility Audit

All 12 major Israeli political party websites fail to comply fully with legal accessibility requirements, according to a recent audit conducted by A-2-Z for the NGO Access Israel. The evaluation revealed accessibility failures across all tested platforms, with most sites preventing blind users or individuals with motor disabilities from completing basic actions such as joining a party, volunteering for a campaign, or locating a branch. Six websites lack an accessibility statement entirely, while four others feature only partial disclosures.

The accessibility mandate is established under Regulation 35 of the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Regulations, applying to public service providers and non-profit organizations alike. The regulations require compliance with Israeli Standard 5568, alongside the publication of an accessibility statement detailing implemented adjustments, unaddressed services, and contact channels. Blind users rely on screen-reading software to navigate digital content, yet improperly structured websites prevent screen readers from interpreting text, buttons, and functional elements.

The audit highlighted specific structural barriers across the political spectrum. On the Religious Zionism website, blind users are entirely unable to browse, while navigation remains severely hindered on the platforms of Noam, BeYachad, and the Joint List. Registration forms fail or lack accessibility features on the platforms of Yisrael Beytenu, The Democrats, Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit, BeYachad, and the Joint List, whereas the Likud registration form malfunctions with screen readers.

Branch locator tools are entirely absent on the websites of Ra'am, Amcha Yisrael, Miluimnikim, Religious Zionism, and the Joint List, and inaccessible to screen readers on Yishar. Noam exhibits severe screen reader incompatibilities and lacks an accessibility statement entirely, while Shas and United Torah Judaism maintain no official websites and were therefore excluded from the assessment. Alon Zakai, CEO of A-2-Z, emphasized that digital accessibility requires ongoing maintenance rather than one-time implementation, though political platforms remain relatively straightforward to adapt compared to complex e-commerce systems.

Yuval Wagner, founder and president of Access Israel, criticized the findings as a severe failure of commitment toward hundreds of thousands of voters with disabilities. Wagner noted that legislation enacted in 2013 mandates digital accessibility so that all citizens can review political platforms, candidate lists, and policy proposals ahead of elections. Auditors identified BeYachad as the only political faction that formulated a comprehensive accessibility action plan, prompting Access Israel to urge all parties to rectify existing violations immediately.