What is the deadline to apply to set aside an arbitration award in Israel?

The Arbitration Law is built around finality, so the window to challenge an award is short and the door to challenge is narrow. Section 27 sets the 45-day clock running from the date the applicant receives the award, not the date it was signed. The application goes to the District Court (Beit Mishpat Mehozi), and it must rest on one of the ten grounds in Section 24, such as the absence of a valid arbitration agreement, the arbitrator exceeding their authority, a denial of a proper opportunity to present the case, or an award that conflicts with public policy. The court does not re-examine the merits or substitute its own view for the arbitrator's, which is why a party who simply disagrees with the result has no basis to set the award aside. Meanwhile, the prevailing party can apply to the court to confirm the award.

For a foreign party, the timing trap is real, because the 45 days run from receipt and there is little appetite in the courts to extend them. If you are abroad, arrange to receive the award promptly and instruct Israeli counsel immediately rather than waiting to translate documents or consult advisers at leisure. Treat the deadline as firm, since an extension under Section 27 is granted only for special reasons and is far from guaranteed. Once the period lapses or the court confirms the award, it carries the force of a judgment and can be enforced through the Execution Office against assets in Israel. A party that wants both to resist confirmation and to challenge the award should usually raise its objections within the same proceeding. Our guide on challenging an arbitral award in Israel sets out each Section 24 ground in detail.

From the full guide: Challenging an Arbitral Award in Israel

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