Is prostitution legal in Israel?
Buying illegal (Nordic model)
Selling sex is legal in Israel, but buying sex and organized prostitution are criminalized.
Israel is one of 10 countries classified “Buying illegal (Nordic model)” for sex work — 5% of the 219 with data. (Also searched as prostitution.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Prostitution in Asia
- Last checked
- 17 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Palestine
- Illegal Prostitution is a criminal offense under Palestinian Authority law.
- Jordan
- Illegal Prostitution is a criminal offense in Jordan, though authorities often ignore its occurrence.
- Lebanon
- Legal & regulated Prostitution is legally regulated in Lebanon, although the government currently refuses to issue new licenses.
- Cyprus
- Decriminalized / unregulated Selling sex is not prohibited, but organizing and brothels are illegal.
- Syria
- Illegal Prostitution is technically illegal in Syria, despite widespread practice among refugees and locals.
- Egypt
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Egypt, though it persists despite police efforts.
Other laws in Israel
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Not recognized
- Same-Sex Activity
- Legal
- Age of Consent
- 16–17
- Divorce
- Legal
- Same-Sex Adoption
- Joint adoption legal
- Incest Laws
- Criminal offense
- Marriage Age
- 18+
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.