What happens if an Israeli will only covers part of the estate?

Israeli succession law treats a will as an exception to a default rather than as a replacement for it. Section 2 of the Succession Law 5725-1965 sets the rule plainly: heirs take by law unless, and only so far as, a valid will directs otherwise. A will that lists three bank accounts and says nothing about an apartment therefore governs the accounts alone. The apartment passes to the statutory heirs under Sections 10 to 17, which give a surviving spouse a defined share alongside children, parents or siblings depending on who survives. Israeli law contains no residuary presumption that quietly fills the gap in favour of the people the testator did name.

The most common trigger is a foreign will drafted by a lawyer who never considered Israeli assets. A New York or London will disposing of "my entire estate" may well reach Israeli property, but one drafted asset by asset usually does not, and the Israeli apartment or bank account then goes to whoever the statute names. Heirs must apply twice, pay two sets of fees, and wait for both orders before a bank or the Land Registry will release anything. The cleaner arrangement is a separate Israeli will covering Israeli assets only, drafted with an express clause confirming that it does not revoke the foreign will.

From the full guide: Israeli Will Requirements: How to Write a Valid Will in Israel

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