Freedom of Information Law, 5758-1998 1. Freedom of information Every Israeli citizen and resident has the right to obtain information from a public authority, according to the stipulations of this law. 2. Definitions The following definitions apply to this law: “Joint committee” – A joint committee of the Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee and the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee; “Information” – Any information in the possession of a public authority, whether written, recorded, filmed, photographed, or computerized; “Responsible for” –Responsible under Section 3 of the law; “Obtaining information” – Includes reading, viewing, listening to, copying, photocopying, receiving computer printout, or obtaining information in any other manner, according to the type of information and the form in which it is kept; “Public authority” – 1. The government and government ministries, including their units and supporting agencies; 2. The President’s Office; 3. The Knesset; 4. The State Comptroller, except for information reaching him for purposes of auditing and inquiries into public complaints; 5. Courts, religious courts, bailiff offices, and other agencies with legally derived judicial authority – except for the content of a legal proceeding; 6. A local authority; 7. A corporation controlled by a local authority; 8. A legally founded corporation; 9. A government company or government subsidiary, as defined in the Government Companies Law (5735-1975), as determined by the Minister of Justice, with the consent of the ministers, as defined in that law. This ruling may apply either to all the activities of the company, or only to certain activities; 10. Any other agency fulfilling a public function, which is a controlled agency as defined in Section 9 of the State Comptroller Law (5718-1958), as determined by the Minister of Justice, with the approval of the Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee; such a ruling may apply either to all the activities of the agency, or only to certain activities; “Head of a public authority” – The director general, or in the absence of a director general, a comparable official in the same agency; in a local authority, the head of the local authority; “Corporation controlled by a local authority” – A municipal corporation, as defined in Section 249a of the Municipalities Ordinance (New Version – 5724-1964), or a corporation in which a local council, as defined in the Local Councils Ordinance (New Version – 5725-1965), owns at least half of the capital, or half of the voting rights in the corporation;