IsraelLawWhen a foreign business or investor faces a dispute with an Israeli counterparty, one of the first practical questions is how long resolution will take. The answer shapes everything: how long cash is tied up, whether key personnel need to be available for hearings, and whether arbitration is genuinely faster than Israeli litigation. The honest answer is that Israeli arbitration is significantly faster than going to court — but it is not quick, and the timelines depend heavily on choices made at the beginning of the case and the behavior of the parties throughout.
This guide walks through every stage of an Israeli arbitration, from the first notice to the final enforcement step, with specific timelines and the factors that affect them. It covers both the domestic framework under the Arbitration Law 5728-1968 and the newer international framework under the ICA Law 5784-2024, which applies to most cross-border commercial disputes.
1. Two Legal Regimes, Two Timelines
The first thing to understand about Israeli arbitration timelines is that two distinct legal frameworks exist, and they produce meaningfully different processes.
The Arbitration Law 5728-1968 governs domestic arbitrations between Israeli parties and, by default, arbitrations between a foreign party and an Israeli party where the seat of arbitration is Israel and the dispute is not "international commercial" within the meaning of the ICA Law. The 1968 Law is a lean statute: it says little about procedure, leaving almost everything to the arbitrator's discretion and the parties' agreement. This flexibility is a double-edged tool. A decisive arbitrator with a cooperating pair of lawyers can move very fast. A weak arbitrator facing adversarial tactics can produce a case that drags on for years.
The International Commercial Arbitration Law 5784-2024 enacted the UNCITRAL Model Law into Israeli domestic law, replacing the old Arbitration Rules of International Commerce. It applies when the dispute is international in nature — meaning at least one party has its place of business outside Israel, or the place of performance of the contract is abroad, or the parties have expressly agreed that the ICA Law applies. Institutional rules (ICC Rules 2021, LCIA Rules 2020, ICCA Rules 2022) overlay the ICA Law when parties have named an institution in their arbitration clause. The institutional framework introduces more procedural structure, which generally slows constitution and early procedure but tends to produce more predictable overall timelines.
If your contract was signed after June 2024 and contains a clause nominating the ICC, LCIA, or ICCA for international disputes, the ICA Law 5784-2024 almost certainly governs. If your contract was signed before June 2024 or contains a simple "disputes shall be referred to arbitration" clause without nominating an institution, the Arbitration Law 5728-1968 is the default. The practical relevance: ICA Law cases benefit from structured institutional administration, emergency arbitrator provisions under Article 17B, and a clearer enforcement route under Article 35 for foreign awards. Domestic 1968 Law cases have more procedural freedom but also more scope for delay. When choosing your legal framework for a new contract, ICCA — reachable at its Tel Aviv offices at 1 Azrieli Center, 30th Floor — is the standard Israeli institutional choice for regional commercial disputes, with filing fees starting at approximately NIS 3,500 for an administrative deposit.
2. Stage 1: Constituting the Tribunal (Weeks 1 to 8)
Arbitration begins formally when one party serves a notice of arbitration on the other. From that point, the first task is putting the arbitral tribunal in place. How long this takes depends almost entirely on what the arbitration agreement says.
When parties agree on an arbitrator directly: If both sides can agree on a sole arbitrator promptly — which is the best-case scenario — constitution takes as little as 2 to 4 weeks. The arbitrator accepts the appointment, discloses any conflicts of interest under Section 11 of the Arbitration Law or Article 12 of the ICA Law, and the case begins.
When an appointing authority is involved: Most well-drafted arbitration clauses name an appointing authority to step in when parties cannot agree. ICCA is the most common Israeli appointing authority. Under ICCA's 2022 Rules, a party files a request for appointment with supporting documents and pays the administrative deposit. ICCA's appointment committee typically issues an appointment within 4 to 6 weeks of receiving a complete application. The ICC takes a similar amount of time at the international level through its Court of Arbitration in Paris; LCIA appointments are often faster, running 2 to 4 weeks.
When there is no agreed appointing authority: This is where constitution can stall badly. Under Section 7 of the Arbitration Law 1968, if no appointing authority is named and the parties cannot agree, either party can apply to the competent District Court to make the appointment. A District Court appointment application takes 6 to 10 weeks on average, sometimes longer if the responding party contests the process. Under Article 11 of the ICA Law 2024, the same court route applies for international cases. Avoid this outcome: always name an appointing authority in your arbitration clause.
Three-member tribunals: Where the contract calls for three arbitrators, each party nominates one co-arbitrator and the two co-arbitrators then agree on a presiding arbitrator. If the co-arbitrators cannot agree, the appointing authority steps in. A three-member constitution adds 4 to 8 weeks to the timeline compared to a sole arbitrator, and the process can stretch to 12 weeks if any nomination or co-arbitrator appointment is contested.
The Israeli Center for Commercial Arbitration (ICCA), housed at 1 Azrieli Tower, Tel Aviv, handles the largest volume of institutional arbitration in Israel. Under Article 8 of ICCA's 2022 Arbitration Rules, a party seeking appointment must submit the following to ICCA's secretariat: the arbitration agreement, the notice of arbitration, the claimant's statement of claim (or a summary), payment of the administrative deposit (NIS 3,500 for claims below NIS 500,000; NIS 7,000 for claims up to NIS 5 million; NIS 12,000 for claims above NIS 5 million), and confirmation that copies have been sent to the other side. Once all materials are received, ICCA targets an appointment decision within 30 calendar days. In practice, the secretariat often notifies parties within 3 to 4 weeks. ICCA maintains a panel of approximately 200 approved arbitrators categorized by subject matter expertise — commercial contracts, real estate, technology, construction, and employment. Parties can submit preferences; ICCA is not bound to follow them but typically consults the preferences when appointing a sole arbitrator.
3. Stage 2: Preliminary Hearing and Procedural Timetable (Months 2 to 3)
Once the tribunal is constituted, the first substantive step is a preliminary hearing — known in Israeli practice as the diyun mechoni or initial procedural conference. This hearing is typically held within 3 to 6 weeks of the arbitrator's acceptance of appointment.
The preliminary hearing establishes the rules that will govern the entire case. A well-run preliminary conference produces a procedural order that sets out:
- The language of the proceedings (Hebrew by default for domestic cases; English is routinely agreed for international cases)
- The pleading sequence and deadlines for statements of claim, defense, and reply
- The document production process and any specific requests for categories of documents
- The witness evidence format — written statements or oral examination first
- Expert witness appointments and the timetable for expert reports
- Calendar dates for the evidentiary hearing, fixed months in advance
- Rules on communications with the tribunal — usually through the arbitrator's email or the institution's case management platform
Getting these terms agreed at the outset is the single most important thing you can do to keep an Israeli arbitration on schedule. Arbitrators who leave procedural steps open-ended — "the claimant shall serve its statement of claim within a reasonable time" — invite delay. Insist on calendar dates.
Section 13 of the Arbitration Law 5728-1968 grants the arbitrator broad authority to "conduct the proceedings in the manner the arbitrator sees fit" unless the parties agree otherwise. This is the source of both the flexibility and the risk in Israeli domestic arbitration. A proactive arbitrator will use Section 13 authority to issue binding procedural orders with hard deadlines and to sanction delay with adverse cost awards under Section 22 — which gives the arbitrator power to allocate costs as they see fit. An arbitrator who treats Section 13 as a reason to defer to the parties on every procedural point typically produces a slow case. When interviewing a potential arbitrator, ask directly: what does your typical procedural schedule look like for a case of this size, and how do you handle a party that fails to meet a deadline?
4. Stage 3: Statements of Case (Months 2 to 5)
After the preliminary hearing, the parties exchange written statements of their positions. In Israeli domestic arbitration, the pleading stage is similar to Israeli civil court practice: the claimant files a statement of claim (ktovet talunot), the respondent files a defense and counterclaim if applicable (ktovet gimel), and the claimant files a reply (tshuvat talunim).
Typical pleading timetable:
- Statement of claim: 4 to 6 weeks after the preliminary order
- Statement of defense (and counterclaim if any): 4 to 6 weeks after the claim
- Reply to defense: 3 to 4 weeks after the defense
- Defense to counterclaim (if applicable): 3 to 4 weeks after the counterclaim
The full pleading exchange therefore takes between 10 and 16 weeks in a well-run case. Add extensions — and there almost always are extensions — and 20 weeks is a realistic figure for contested commercial arbitrations.
In international arbitrations under the ICA Law with institutional rules, the pleading stage is often replaced by or combined with the document production phase under the IBA Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Arbitration, which are widely used by Israel-seated tribunals even though they are not mandatory. This can add 4 to 8 weeks to the evidence phase but tends to reduce surprises at the hearing.
5. Stage 4: Document Production and Witness Evidence (Months 4 to 8)
Document production in Israeli arbitration is narrower than US-style discovery but broader than what Israeli courts typically order. The tribunal has authority under Section 13 of the 1968 Law to order production of specific categories of documents, and under Article 27 of the ICA Law 2024, the court can assist with evidence gathering if the tribunal requests it.
Document requests: Parties submit requests for categories of documents that the other side holds. The arbitrator rules on contested requests. A typical document production round runs 6 to 8 weeks from the exchange of requests to production of the documents.
Witness statements: In Israeli commercial arbitration, witness evidence is almost universally submitted in written form before the hearing. Each factual witness prepares a signed witness statement, usually accompanied by supporting exhibits. The exchange of witness statements typically takes 8 to 12 weeks after the close of the document production phase.
Expert witnesses: Technical disputes — about property valuations, accounting matters, engineering defects, or market prices — require expert evidence. Each party usually retains its own expert, who prepares a written report. The exchange of expert reports, followed by a joint meeting of the experts to narrow the issues, adds another 8 to 16 weeks to the evidence phase. Cases with competing expert witnesses are among the slowest-moving Israeli arbitrations.
Under Article 27 of the International Commercial Arbitration Law 5784-2024, a party or the arbitral tribunal itself can apply to the competent Israeli District Court for assistance in taking evidence — for example, to compel a third party to produce documents or to compel a witness who refuses to appear to give testimony. The court application is filed in the District Court with jurisdiction over the place where the evidence is located or where the witness resides. In practice, courts process these applications on a civil petition track: an unchallenged application takes 4 to 6 weeks. If the third party contests the order, add 3 to 6 months for argument and ruling. Foreign parties should note that under the parallel provision in Section 28 of the 1968 Law, courts have long assisted domestic arbitrators with evidence gathering on the same basis. The court filing fee for a Section 28 application is calculated under the Court Fees Regulations 5767-2007 at approximately NIS 770 for a standard petition, rising for claims above NIS 200,000.
6. Stage 5: The Evidentiary Hearing (Months 9 to 14)
The evidentiary hearing is when witnesses are cross-examined on their written statements and the parties' lawyers present oral argument. In Israeli arbitration, witnesses typically adopt their written statements as evidence-in-chief and then face cross-examination by opposing counsel, followed by re-examination.
Scheduling: Hearing dates are usually fixed at the preliminary conference, months before the hearing is due to take place. This is why securing calendar dates early matters so much — experienced arbitrators with busy practices may have limited availability, and gaps in the schedule push the hearing back.
Duration: A commercial dispute worth NIS 500,000 to NIS 2 million with two to four witnesses per side typically requires 2 to 4 hearing days. A dispute worth NIS 5 million to NIS 20 million with multiple witnesses and contested expert evidence may require 5 to 10 hearing days spread across 2 to 3 months.
Remote hearings: Since the ICA Law 5784-2024 formally recognized remote arbitration, Israeli arbitrations now routinely conduct at least some sessions by video conference. ICCA's 2022 Rules explicitly permit virtual hearings with the consent of both parties or at the arbitrator's direction. For foreign parties who cannot easily travel to Israel, this is significant: it is now standard to request a hybrid hearing where foreign witnesses give evidence remotely while Israeli witnesses appear in person.
Post-hearing submissions: Many Israeli arbitrators request written closing submissions after the hearing rather than oral closing argument. Written closings add 4 to 8 weeks after the final hearing day but often produce better-reasoned awards.
Israeli arbitration hearings are typically held in the offices of one of the parties' lawyers, in a neutral conference room hired for the purpose, or in ICCA's dedicated hearing rooms at 1 Azrieli Center, Tel Aviv. ICCA's hearing rooms accommodate up to 20 participants and are equipped for simultaneous interpretation — which is commonly needed when one party gives evidence in English and the other in Hebrew. Daily room hire at ICCA runs approximately NIS 1,800 to NIS 3,500 depending on room size and duration. Commercial interpretation services cost approximately NIS 1,200 to NIS 2,000 per day for English-Hebrew. For international cases where parties are based in multiple countries, ICCA also supports fully virtual hearing rooms through its video conferencing platform at no additional charge. Parties considering Tel Aviv for the seat of arbitration should note that Ben Gurion Airport is a 40-minute drive from Azrieli and direct flights connect Tel Aviv with London, Frankfurt, Paris, New York, and most commercial centres.
7. Stage 6: The Award (Months 14 to 18+)
After the close of evidence and the last written submissions, the tribunal deliberates and drafts the award. This is one of the least predictable stages in Israeli arbitration. The Arbitration Law 1968 sets no time limit on when an arbitrator must deliver an award — a significant contrast with many institutional rules, which impose soft deadlines.
Typical deliberation periods:
- Simple disputes (one legal issue, one hearing day): 4 to 8 weeks to the award
- Moderately complex disputes (multiple claims, 3 to 5 hearing days): 8 to 16 weeks
- Complex disputes (competing expert witnesses, multiple parties, 7+ hearing days): 16 to 28 weeks
Under ICCA's 2022 Rules (Article 28), the arbitrator is expected to deliver the award within 3 months of the close of the hearing. ICCA's secretariat monitors this and can grant extensions on good cause. ICC and LCIA rules have similar provisions. In ad hoc domestic arbitrations under the 1968 Law, there is no equivalent mechanism, and awards have sometimes taken a year after the hearing in the most complex cases.
Form of the award: Israeli domestic awards under the 1968 Law need not include detailed written reasons unless the parties have agreed otherwise or the arbitrator chooses to give reasons. In practice, most experienced Israeli arbitrators provide reasoned awards — partly because a completely unreasoned award is difficult for the losing party to evaluate and harder for a court to assess when enforcement is contested. The ICA Law 2024 requires a reasoned award by default (Article 31) unless the parties agree otherwise.
When an Israeli arbitral tribunal issues a money award, interest on the principal runs from the date the underlying debt fell due, not from the date of the award. The applicable rate is the statutory late-payment rate set by the Finance Ministry under the Late Payment Interest Law 5761-1961, currently set at prime plus 3.75% per annum, CPI-linked. In a dispute where NIS 2 million was due in 2023 and the award is issued in 2026, the interest component alone can reach NIS 250,000 to NIS 350,000 depending on CPI movements. The tribunal can also award interest from the date of the award at the same statutory rate if the claimant requests it and the respondent delays payment. The practical effect is that delay — whether caused by slow procedure or a long deliberation phase — costs the losing party real money in accumulated interest, while the winning party receives it. Factor this into your settlement calculations.
8. Enforcement After the Award (Weeks 4 to 8, or Longer if Challenged)
Once the award is in hand, a winning party has two scenarios: the losing party pays, or they do not.
Voluntary payment: If the losing party accepts the award and pays within the time set by the tribunal (typically 30 days), enforcement is immediate and there is nothing further to do.
Recognition and enforcement through the Execution Office: If the losing party does not pay voluntarily, the winning party must obtain a court recognition order before the Execution Office (Hotzaa LaPoal) can act. Under Section 28 of the Arbitration Law 1968, an application for recognition of a domestic award is filed in the District Court. For international awards under Article 35 of the ICA Law 2024, the same court route applies. An unopposed application — where the losing party does not appear or does not file substantive objections — is processed by the court in 4 to 8 weeks on a desk review basis, without a full hearing.
If the award is challenged: The losing party has 45 calendar days from the date of the award to apply to the District Court to have it set aside under Section 24 of the Arbitration Law 1968. The grounds are narrow — lack of jurisdiction, denial of a fair hearing, corruption, fraud, or a violation of public policy — but a challenge is filed in the District Court on the ordinary civil track. Resolving a contested challenge takes 6 to 18 months, during which enforcement is typically stayed. This is the most significant post-award timeline risk for winning parties.
Once recognized: With a recognition order in hand, the winning party opens an enforcement file at the Execution Office under the Execution Law 5727-1967. The Execution Office can freeze bank accounts, garnish salaries, register property liens, and conduct a financial examination of a debtor who claims to have no assets. These enforcement tools are powerful and the Execution Office acts quickly on standard applications. Bank account attachment orders are typically processed within 3 to 7 business days of the application.
Opening an enforcement file at the Execution Office (Hotzaa LaPoal) requires payment of an opening fee under the Execution Law Fees Regulations 5768-2008 of approximately NIS 650 to NIS 990 depending on the claim amount. Individual enforcement actions — bank attachment, property lien registration, salary garnishment — each cost between NIS 75 and NIS 250 per action. The Execution Office serves as the coordinating authority: it sends the bank attachment order (tzav ikul) directly to the debtor's bank using the national bank routing system. Major Israeli banks — Bank Leumi, Bank Hapoalim, Discount Bank, Mizrahi-Tefahot — process Execution Office orders within 1 to 3 business days and must report back to the Office within 7 days. If the judgment debtor is a foreigner who has since left Israel, the Execution Office can register the judgment debt with the PIBA border control system and issue a stay-of-exit order preventing re-entry to Israel until the debt is satisfied. The stay-of-exit order under Section 66 of the Execution Law is particularly effective for foreign parties with Israeli business interests who travel to Israel regularly.
9. Domestic vs. International: How the Timelines Differ
For practical planning purposes, the table below summarizes what a foreign party should realistically expect from each regime.
| Stage | Domestic (1968 Law) | International ICCA (ICA Law 2024) | International ICC / LCIA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tribunal constitution | 2 to 8 weeks | 4 to 8 weeks | 6 to 12 weeks |
| Preliminary hearing + procedural order | 3 to 5 weeks after constitution | 4 to 6 weeks after constitution | 6 to 10 weeks after constitution |
| Pleadings + document production | 3 to 6 months | 4 to 7 months | 5 to 9 months |
| Witness statements + experts | 2 to 5 months | 3 to 6 months | 3 to 7 months |
| Hearing | 1 to 5 hearing days | 2 to 7 hearing days | 3 to 10 hearing days |
| Award | 4 to 16 weeks after hearing | 8 to 12 weeks (ICCA deadline) | 12 to 20 weeks |
| Total (typical range) | 12 to 18 months | 18 to 24 months | 24 to 36 months |
10. What Actually Slows Israeli Arbitration Down
Understanding why cases run longer than expected is just as useful as knowing the baseline timeline. The most common causes of delay in Israeli arbitration are structural problems that develop early in the case.
Arbitrator availability: Israel's pool of experienced commercial arbitrators is deep but not unlimited. Senior arbitrators with strong track records carry heavy caseloads. When a sole arbitrator is appointed with a full diary, the preliminary hearing may not happen for 6 to 8 weeks after constitution, and hearing dates may need to be scheduled 6 to 9 months out. Choose an arbitrator whose current workload you can verify, and lock in hearing dates before anything else.
Vague procedural orders: An order that says "the claimant shall file its statement of claim within 45 days" becomes "the claimant filed for an extension on day 44, the arbitrator granted 30 more days, and this cycle repeated twice." Specific calendar dates with a defined consequences regime — costs sanctions for non-compliance under Section 22 of the 1968 Law — are the cure.
Document disputes: When one party refuses to produce documents it holds, the tribunal can order production under Section 13 of the 1968 Law. But compelling compliance from a recalcitrant party requires the tribunal to issue a substantive order, which may be challenged or ignored. Truly resistant document disputes can add 3 to 6 months to the evidence phase if court assistance under Section 28 of the 1968 Law (or Article 27 of the ICA Law) is needed.
Expert disagreement: Cases with competing expert witnesses on valuation or technical matters are inherently slower. Consider agreeing at the preliminary conference to use a single jointly-appointed expert under Section 13 of the 1968 Law rather than dueling party experts. A single expert typically produces one report in 8 to 12 weeks rather than two competing reports over 16 to 20 weeks followed by a further exchange of responses.
Dilatory tactics by one party: A respondent who knows it will lose has strong incentives to delay. The 1968 Law gives arbitrators meaningful tools to address this: adverse inference orders when documents are withheld, cost sanctions for unmeritorious procedural applications, and the power to proceed in the respondent's absence under Section 23 if a party refuses to participate. Foreign claimants facing a dilatory Israeli respondent should push hard for the arbitrator to exercise these powers early rather than accommodating delay through endless extensions.
Section 22 of the Arbitration Law 5728-1968 gives the arbitral tribunal full discretion over cost allocation, including attorney fees, arbitrator fees, and expert costs. Israeli arbitration practice increasingly uses cost awards as a behavioral tool. A party that requests three deadline extensions and files substantive procedural applications on contested points that are later dismissed may receive a costs order against it at the conclusion of the hearing phase, payable immediately rather than at the end of the case. In 2025, the ICCA secretariat reported that approximately 40% of arbitrations it administered included at least one interim cost award during the proceedings, typically in the range of NIS 15,000 to NIS 60,000. Parties who face these early cost orders are statistically more likely to comply with subsequent procedural deadlines. Raise the prospect of interim cost sanctions explicitly at the preliminary hearing and ask the arbitrator to include a clear statement in the procedural order that non-compliance with deadlines will attract sanctions.
11. How to Make Your Israeli Arbitration Move Faster
The most effective speed measures come from contract drafting, not from what you do after the dispute arises. But there are meaningful steps available at every stage.
Before the dispute: draft a tight clause. Name an appointing authority (ICCA for domestic; ICC or LCIA for international). Specify a sole arbitrator for disputes below NIS 3 million. Set an award deadline of 12 months from constitution. Include expedited procedures for claims below NIS 500,000 — both ICCA and the ICC have fast-track rules that cut timelines roughly in half for smaller claims.
At constitution: Serve the notice of arbitration the moment the dispute crystallizes, not after months of unsuccessful commercial negotiation. Once you decide to arbitrate, begin the clock. If the other side delays in responding to arbitrator nomination requests, file the appointing authority request immediately rather than waiting.
At the preliminary hearing: Arrive with a proposed procedural timetable already drafted. Most arbitrators will adopt a party's well-organized timetable proposal rather than construct one from scratch. Your timetable should include specific calendar dates for every milestone and a provision that missing a deadline by more than 14 days triggers an automatic cost sanction application.
During evidence: Keep document requests narrowly targeted. Asking for every communication ever sent between the parties generates document disputes that delay everything. Identify the 5 to 10 categories of documents that actually matter and request only those.
At the hearing: Consider agreeing to written closing submissions instead of oral argument. Written closings can be prepared in 3 to 4 weeks rather than adding hearing days. They also give the arbitrator a cleaner document to rely on when drafting the award.
After the hearing: Follow up with the arbitrator's clerk 10 weeks after the close of submissions if no award has arrived. A polite inquiry about the expected timeline is appropriate and sends a signal that you expect the process to conclude on schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
A straightforward domestic arbitration under the Arbitration Law 5728-1968 with a single arbitrator and a dispute in the NIS 500,000 to NIS 2 million range typically concludes within 12 to 18 months from the notice of arbitration to the written award. More complex cases with three arbitrators and significant documentary disputes run 18 to 24 months. International commercial arbitrations under the ICA Law 5784-2024 administered by the ICC or LCIA generally take 24 to 36 months. Enforcement through the Execution Office after an uncontested award adds roughly 4 to 8 weeks.
For commercial disputes, yes — in most cases. A civil case in the Israeli Magistrates Court takes an average of 18 to 30 months from filing to judgment. A District Court commercial case can run 3 to 6 years. Well-run domestic arbitration finishes in 12 to 18 months. The critical difference is that arbitration timelines are largely under the parties' control. A cooperative arbitration with an experienced arbitrator and disciplined procedural scheduling will outperform the court system significantly. Contested arbitrations where one party delays at every stage can end up no faster than court.
When parties agree on a sole arbitrator by direct negotiation, constitution takes 2 to 4 weeks. When the arbitration agreement names an appointing authority — most commonly ICCA — and the parties cannot agree, ICCA typically makes an appointment within 4 to 6 weeks of a formal application. Under the ICA Law 5784-2024, if no appointing authority is specified, a party can apply to the District Court under Article 11 to make the appointment, which adds 6 to 10 weeks to the constitution phase.
If the losing party pays voluntarily, enforcement is immediate. If not, the winning party must apply to the District Court under Section 28 of the Arbitration Law 1968 for domestic awards, or Article 35 of the ICA Law 2024 for international awards, for a recognition order. An unopposed recognition application takes 4 to 8 weeks. If the losing party challenges the award on grounds under Section 24 of the Arbitration Law — a narrow list including denial of fair hearing, fraud, and public policy — the challenge adds 6 to 18 months. Once recognized, the Execution Office can freeze bank accounts within 3 to 7 business days of the creditor's application.
Three things have the greatest impact. First, draft a tight arbitration clause before any dispute arises: name an appointing authority (ICCA), specify a sole arbitrator for disputes below NIS 3 million, and set a 12-month award deadline. Second, choose an arbitrator with a track record of delivering awards on schedule — ask for references at the interview stage. Third, use the preliminary hearing to lock in firm calendar dates for every stage, and include a provision in the procedural order that missed deadlines trigger automatic cost sanction applications under Section 22 of the Arbitration Law 5728-1968.