Let's say you run a business serving Israelis, but you're not physically located in Israel. Does Israeli law still apply to you? The following case illustrates this dilemma perfectly.
An Israeli tour guide living in Thailand reached out to us with a straightforward yet important question: Is he required to make his website accessible? The site itself targets Israelis looking for a local, Hebrew-speaking tour guide for their next trip to Thailand.
It's a Hebrew-language website offering services directly to the public in Israel—even though the business operates entirely from Thailand.
According to Israeli accessibility standards, the answer is clear: yes, he is required to comply. Any website targeting the public in Israel, whether operated domestically or abroad, must meet accessibility requirements. But here's where it gets complicated from a practical legal standpoint: Israeli regulations have no real enforcement mechanism against a business operating from Thailand with only a local business registration and no formal presence in Israel.
Can You Ignore the Law When There's No Enforcement?
This is where things get murky. On one hand, there's a principled obligation—the standard is clear, and it applies to foreign websites serving Israeli users. On the other hand, if there's no practical way to enforce accessibility regulations on a business in Thailand, you're left with a situation where the business owner must decide between taking a legal risk or proactively protecting themselves.
In this tour guide's case, we recommended basic accessibility measures, especially given the relatively low annual cost that could prevent headaches down the road. Even if enforcement isn't happening today, circumstances can change—whether through customer feedback, social media coverage, or formal complaints from people with disabilities.
After much deliberation, he decided to take the risk and not implement accessibility. This is certainly a legitimate business decision, but it's important to understand it's a calculated risk. Even without cross-border regulation, accessibility isn't just a legal issue—it's a moral and marketing one as well.
Our role was to make sure we explained the full picture without leaving any gray areas open to interpretation. So yes, not everyone becomes our client, but everyone gets comprehensive, straightforward guidance from us.