Israeli websites vary a lot in how they treat visitors from outside the country, and the differences are worth knowing before assuming something is broken.
Television is the clearest case. Kan, the public broadcaster, streams Kan 11 and its other channels online. Channel 12's programmes live on mako, and Reshet 13 runs its own site and app. News clips and many shows open worldwide, but live broadcasts, sport and some series are licensed for Israel only, so the player checks where the viewer is. The same goes for the streaming services of the TV providers, which are sold to Israeli households.
Shopping and local services are the second case. Some Israeli shops, ticketing sites and delivery services show a different version, a different currency or a shorter catalogue to visitors from abroad, or simply serve customers inside the country.
Accounts are the third. Some services apply extra checks when a login suddenly arrives from another country, which is sensible security but can be inconvenient for someone who has just moved. A familiar location keeps those logins looking the way the service expects.
A VPN helps with the location part of all three: once an Israeli server is selected, sites see an IP address located in Israel. Accounts, payment cards and each service's own terms work exactly as they always do.
Inside Israel, the motivation is usually privacy. Cafes, malls, hotels and public transport offer free Wi-Fi that anyone nearby can join, and an encrypted connection keeps your browsing out of view on them.
Television is the clearest case. Kan, the public broadcaster, streams Kan 11 and its other channels online. Channel 12's programmes live on mako, and Reshet 13 runs its own site and app. News clips and many shows open worldwide, but live broadcasts, sport and some series are licensed for Israel only, so the player checks where the viewer is. The same goes for the streaming services of the TV providers, which are sold to Israeli households.
Shopping and local services are the second case. Some Israeli shops, ticketing sites and delivery services show a different version, a different currency or a shorter catalogue to visitors from abroad, or simply serve customers inside the country.
Accounts are the third. Some services apply extra checks when a login suddenly arrives from another country, which is sensible security but can be inconvenient for someone who has just moved. A familiar location keeps those logins looking the way the service expects.
A VPN helps with the location part of all three: once an Israeli server is selected, sites see an IP address located in Israel. Accounts, payment cards and each service's own terms work exactly as they always do.
Inside Israel, the motivation is usually privacy. Cafes, malls, hotels and public transport offer free Wi-Fi that anyone nearby can join, and an encrypted connection keeps your browsing out of view on them.
