Foreign Judgments Enforcement Bill (Amendment No. 4) (Implementation of the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters), 5785-2025

This bill is intended to enable Israel to ratify a new international convention regarding the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in civil and commercial matters. The convention, signed in The Hague in 2019, is designed to streamline international legal proceedings and allow for the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in a more uniform and clear manner among member states. The proposed law establishes that judgments rendered in states that are parties to the convention shall be recognized and may be enforced in Israel, and that judgments rendered in Israel shall be recognized and may be enforced in those states, subject to the conditions detailed in the convention. This is intended to facilitate the process for litigants involved in international proceedings, increase legal certainty, and reduce risks and costs. The convention and the new law will apply to civil and commercial judgments, excluding certain areas such as family law, bankruptcy, taxation, customs matters, labor law, and judgments concerning intellectual property rights, physical property, or antitrust law. The law also specifies cases in which the recognition or enforcement of a foreign judgment will not be permitted, for example, if it was obtained by fraud, if it violates public policy, or if the defendant did not receive sufficient notice of the proceedings. The law authorizes the Minister of Justice to enact regulations for the implementation of the convention's provisions and to add the official translation of the convention to the law's appendix. Additionally, it stipulates that the provisions of the existing law regarding the enforcement of foreign judgments will continue to apply until the new regulations enter into force.

Source: הצעת חוק לקריאה הראשונה