Can I evict a protected tenant (dayar mugan) in Israel?

Protected tenants under the Tenant Protection Law 5732-1972 (dayar mugan) can only be evicted on specific statutory grounds: non-payment of regulated rent for over 3 months (after notice and a further cure period), subletting without consent, serious property damage, or use for illegal purposes. The Tenant Protection Law applies only to residential agreements entered before 20 August 1968.

If you have a sitting protected tenant, take specialist legal advice immediately — the rules are fundamentally different from ordinary residential tenancy law. A protected tenant pays a heavily reduced dmei miftach (key money) rent that is far below market rate, and the tenancy right can pass to certain family members on the tenant's death. Eviction proceedings for protected tenants are heard in the Magistrate Court and can take two to four years. For more detail, see Evicting a Tenant in Israel: A Complete Legal Guide for Foreign Landlords.