What happens to my Israeli property rights if I separate from my spouse without a written agreement?

If you separate without a written, court-approved agreement, the Spouses Property Relations Law 1973 still applies. Under its resource-balancing provisions in Section 5, each spouse is entitled to half the value of assets accumulated during the marriage, but this right only crystallizes upon divorce, death, or a special court order. Simply moving out does not trigger a division of assets. You need a formal separation agreement or a divorce to settle property rights definitively.