10 October 2024
By Ortal Maldonado
Historical Background and Foundations
In 2010, the Israel Internet Association (ISOC-IL) began the process of establishing a Hebrew Internationalized domain name (IDN). At the time, ISOC-IL was already managing the 25-year old “.il” ccTLD, and in December 2010 opened the option for users to register Hebrew domain names under the existing .il ccTLD. First- and Second-level domains like co.il, org.il, ac.il, etc. were used and allowed the creation of domain names such as איגוד-האינטרנט.org.il. In this format, the third level of the domain name is registered in Hebrew letters, and the second and first levels in Latin letters, creating a mix of two languages in one domain name.
The Israeli IDN was well received, with almost 30,000 domain names registered at the time it was launched. However the drawback of the mixed Hebrew-Latin domain name under .il was its combination of two writing systems written in opposing directions. Hebrew, like Arabic and Persian, is written from right to left, while Latin-character languages are written from left to right. This makes it difficult for users to type a mixed address correctly. Aware of this, ISOC-IL promised those registering for the new domain names that once the allocation process for the planned national Hebrew ccTLD was completed, they would be eligible to receive the rights to the fully Hebrew domain corresponding with their mixed-script domain (for example, the holder of איגוד-האינטרנט.org.il would be entitled to the domain איגוד-האינטרנט.ישראל).
Chart: Total managed IDN in .il
In 2011, ISOC-IL conducted a survey among members of Israel’s internet community to determine the preferred suffix for the future Hebrew ccTLD, and ".יל" (the Hebrew equivalent of .il) received the highest number of votes. Since the suggested suffix was an abbreviation of the country name, ICANN required that the Academy of the Hebrew Language be consulted on the matter. The Academy disqualified the suffix as an incorrect Hebrew abbreviation of the country's name and instead ISOC-IL's Infrastructure Oversight Committee picked the second most popular alternative, "ישראל.", the Hebrew equivalent of “.Israel”. This was approved by the Academy of the Hebrew Language.
The official approval of "ישראל." as the country's fully Hebrew IDN was finalized on May 19, 2020, with the support of the Ministry of Communications and the Academy of the Hebrew Language.
On the day of the final approval, ISOC-IL suspended the registration of new Hebrew domain names under the .il ccTLD and worked to finalize the procedures necessary to implement and manage the “ישראל.” ccTLD. The local internet community demonstrated widespread support for the appointment of ISOC-IL as manager of the IDN, including the Israeli Press Council, the Israeli Chamber for Information Technologies, members of academia and the commercial internet sector, the Chamber of Commerce and others. ISOC-IL also received recognition from the Israeli government as manager of the two national ccTLDs. On January 14, 2021, IANA, ICANN's operating body, approved ISOC-IL's application for authority over the management and operations of “ישראל.”.
Soon afterward, the Israel Internet Association initiated a public consultation process to determine the optimal structure for the new “ישראל.” domain name space. This process invited the general public to share their views on what the new ccTLD should look like. Additional questions related to the technicalities of the IDN launch were also submitted for public input.
A dedicated website was established for the consultation, providing a platform for public participation and feedback. The site ensured full transparency, allowing participants to review all information, proposed alternatives and the implications of each option.
Following the public consultation and discussions on the new ccTLD structure, ISOC-IL’s Board of Directors decided to adopt a combined Flat Structure and Sector-Divided Structure. This approach enables Israeli internet users to register Hebrew domain names in the second level directly under the ccTLD “ישראל.” (for example: כולנו.ישראל). Meanwhile, public institutions like municipalities, academic institutions and the military can register domain names in the third level under the sectorial SLD (for example: האוניברסיטה-העברית.אקדמיה.ישראל.). This model ensures that the general public benefits from a simple, short and user-friendly ccTLD structure while also making public institutions’ domains more easily identifiable. The Board also decided to permanently cease registration of IDN domain names under the Latin-charactered ccTLD .il, and only allow registration of exclusively Hebrew-character domain names under the new IDN ccTLD.
The launch of the new “ישראל.” Country Code Top-Level Domain took place on November 22, 2022 following a Sunrise procedure in which ISOC-IL granted eligible parties an exclusive, time-limited opportunity to secure the registration of domain names under the new TLD.
The Sunrise process allowed entities incorporated in Israel (companies, associations, political parties, etc.) and owners of Israeli trademarks to guarantee their right to register a Hebrew domain name matching their name or registered trademark.
In the first 24 hours of the launch 10,000 domain names were registered and within a month almost 20,000 domain names had been registered.
After the Launch
Almost a year and a half following the launch, just after the Hebrew IDN had passed its first massive renewal point, we observed a decline of 40% in the number of domain names under the new IDN ccTLD “ישראל.”. This was to be expected, as the launch of a new TLD typically sees a surge in domain investments–domain names bought with the intention of reselling on the secondary market. When these domains do not receive purchase offers, investors often abandon them.
As of July 2024 there were 11,540 domain names under “ישראל.”. Meanwhile, only 2,700 hybrid domain names remain registered under .il, 13 years after the introduction of the hybrid IDN.
Advantages for the local community
The new IDN offers a number of commercial, educational and social advantages to Israeli internet users.
As in any country, domain names in the locally spoken language offer commercial brands a higher level of memorability in advertising campaigns, adapting branding to the local population and increasing consumers’ sense of “belonging” with respect to the brand name.
The IDN makes the internet more accessible for non-English speakers, which means the inclusion of more segments of the population in the internet user community, offering them the gamut of advantages and opportunities that the internet has to offer. It also fosters the strengthening of national identity in the internet space, along with local cultures and customs. This is particularly significant given that according to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, approximately 13% of respondents to their survey reported that they can not speak, read or write in English.
Since the Hebrew language includes guttural consonants that lack equivalents in Latin characters, many domain names appear more natural and readable to Israeli users when written in Hebrew.
Community Engagement
The launch campaign included radio commercials, social media posts, YouTube videos, Google search and display ads, and publicizing examples of well-known businesses that had chosen to register a Hebrew domain name. ISOC-IL also created a dedicated website כולנו.ישראל where important information about the IDN was–and continues to be–shared with the public.
Apart from the media launch campaign, we also reached out to the Government Advertising Agency “Lapam”, thinking that if they adopted the IDN in their high-profile campaigns, the public would become accustomed to the idea and adopt it as well.
In particular, we thought the IDN could be useful in the ultra-orthodox communities who primarily speak Hebrew and Yiddish and whose English literacy is below average. We collaborated with an ultra-orthodox digital marketing agency to spread the word, which proved fruitful and attracted a good number of registrations from the targeted population.
Challenges and obstacles
We are currently facing technical obstacles that make it hard for the public to use.
There is, of course, the common obstacle faced by new TLDs of not yet being integrated by social media platforms, web browsers, instant messaging apps and web building platforms, with domain names continuing to appear as unlinkable addresses. Added to this is the UA obstacle, specific to IDNs and most problematic for those in countries with smaller populations. Commercial manufacturers of social media platforms, email software and servers and other services are often reluctant to go out of their way to adapt their products to the needs of relatively peripheral languages or populations like Israel’s.
We are in constant contact with the ICANN Universal Acceptance Steering Group (UASG), trying to stay updated on any progress regarding various aspects of IDN support and to make sure that the Hebrew-speaking population is fairly represented.
There is of course the challenge of public awareness–in spite of our public campaigns, many Israelis are still unaware of the IDN option available to them. Based on the feedback we have received from the public, we believe the more IDN becomes integrated into the internet infrastructure and its stakeholders’ operations, the more the public in Israel will adopt its use.
By Ortal Maldonado