The Israel Antitrust Authority (IAA) is an independent government enforcement agency established in 1994 under an amendment to the Restrictive Trade Practices Act, 1988.  The IAA, headed by the IAA's General Director, has a mandate to prevent the creation of market power through the regulation of mergers and anti-cartel enforcement, to restrain abuse by dominant firms of their positions and to preserve competition in the various markets.  It is thus vested with the power to initiate civil and criminal proceedings and to order monopolies to refrain from acting in a manner which constitutes abuse of dominant position.  While the IAA has an important enforcement function, the Restrictive Trade Practices Law also provides for any person to independently seek a remedy from the Court.

An Antitrust Tribunal, sitting within the District Court in Jerusalem, has exclusive jurisdiction over non-criminal antitrust proceedings brought before it as a trial court or over appeals from General Director decisions.  Decisions of the Tribunal may be appealed to the Supreme Court, the highest judicial authority in Israel.  The District Court of Jerusalem has exclusive jurisdiction over criminal antitrust matters which are brought by the IAA.  The District Court’s decisions can also be appealed to the Supreme Court.

Based on its expertise in competition matters, the IAA serves as an advisory body to the Government and Knesset in matters concerning competition.  In recent years, the IAA has been deeply involved, either through its formal powers or through advocacy work, in numerous initiatives to open markets to competition, dissolve barriers to entry and establish procompetitive reforms or new regulatory programs.