Israel to start its own web domain in Hebrew

The Israel Internet Association announced on Tuesday that it is launching a new domain, .Israel, which will allow users to enter Internet addresses in Hebrew.

The association is allowing trademark holders to pre-register for Internet addresses until July, reported Ynet.

By September, the domains will be opened up to the general public.

Since the 1980s, Israel’s domain was .il, which will continue to function.

“Opening the domain was a long and challenging process,” said CEO of Israel Internet Association Yoram Hacohen. “The idea to establish a domain in Hebrew has been around for more than a decade, and we even conducted a survey for the Israeli public in 2012 that helped us focus the process.”