Rachely Edri-Hulata

rachelye@shomrim.news

@REdri86

Rachely Edri-Hulata has extensive experience in legal activism. Prior to joining Shomrim, she served in 2024–2025 as Director of Partnerships and Research at the Center for Applied Research on the Risks to Democracy at Tel Aviv University. Before that, between 2018 and 2024, she served as CEO of the Freedom of Information Movement, and for nearly a decade, she was involved in numerous public legal and legislative initiatives promoting the public’s right to know, good governance, and transparency. She also served as the organization’s legal advisor between 2013 and 2016.

In parallel with her work at Shomrim, she is currently a research student in advanced studies at Tel Aviv University. She holds LL.B. and LL.M. degrees in law, is a member of the Israel Bar Association, and teaches at the Sapir Academic College School of Law.

Articles

Rachely Edri-Hulata

After Shomrim Investigation, Privacy Authority Clarifies: Local Governments Cannot Use LPR Cameras Without Explicit Legal Authorization

Earlier this year, Shomrim and N12 revealed that local authorities in Israel were using smart cameras to enforce parking regulations – without the legal authority to do so. Now, one municipality has told residents that tickets issued using this system are null and void. The Ministry of Justice’s Privacy Protection Authority issued a clarification: Local authorities are prohibited from using cameras equipped with license plate recognition technology for parking enforcement.Shomrim has submitted freedom of information requests to dozens of local authorities and will continue to follow the story to uncover how much money has been levied.

April 26, 2026

Ignoring Court Order and Privacy Concerns, Tel Aviv Uses ‘Smart’ Cameras to Issue Hundreds of Thousands of Parking Fines

When a District Court barred the use of license plate recognition cameras for parking enforcement, Tel Aviv Municipality claimed that its system uses ‘fundamentally different’ technology. A Shomrim analysis of internal documents, however, shows that City Hall demanded the installation of the exact cameras that were banned – and used them to issue hundreds of thousands of fines. Furthermore, the cameras were first deployed over a decade ago, and the company operating them has been approved several times without a tender. ‘The way they operate is absurd,’ says a senior local government official. The response from City Hall: Everything was done according to the law and enforcement will continue. Also published by N12

February 12, 2026

Israeli Court Rules Against Use of ‘Smart Cameras’ to Enforce Parking Violations

Only the Knesset can authorize the use of license plate recognition (LPR) technology in Israel. Yet a court case from December 2025 revealed that local authorities, which use the technology widely, never received such authorization. The attorney general has also confirmed that LPR cameras - which have generated hundreds of millions of shekels in traffic fines for municipalities - were installed without legal authority. So what happens now? The Tel Aviv Municipality is unlikely to stop using the cameras to issue fines, and neither are other local authorities - at least until the High Court intervenes. A Shomrim investigation, also published on N12.

January 13, 2026

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