How does an Israeli court interpret an ambiguous or contradictory clause in a will?

Israeli succession law starts from a strong presumption that a testator meant every clause to have effect. Section 54(a) tells the court to read the will as a whole and give each provision the meaning that best matches the intention shown on the face of the document. Only if the wording remains genuinely unclear does Section 54(b) allow the judge to look outside the will, at evidence of the testator's circumstances, family relationships and earlier drafts. Where two clauses cannot stand together, the court will normally give priority to the later provision, on the reasoning that it reflects the testator's final decision.

Foreign heirs run into this most often with translated wills, where a phrase such as "my estate in Israel" or "my children" does not map cleanly onto Israeli categories. An interpretation dispute is not the same as a challenge to validity, so it does not require the grounds needed for contesting a will in Israel. It is raised as an application to the Family Court once the Registrar of Inheritance Affairs transfers the contested file. Keep the drafting lawyer's notes, earlier versions and correspondence, because Section 54(b) evidence is usually what decides these cases.

From the full guide: Contesting a Will in Israel: Grounds, Process and Rights for Foreign Heirs

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