Asia · Western Asia · Sovereign state
Current time in Israel
A single time zone at UTC+03:00. Currently observing daylight saving time.
Thursday, October 15, 2026
About Israel's time
A single time zone.
Israel uses a single time zone: Israel Standard Time (UTC+02:00) in winter and Israel Daylight Time (UTC+03:00) in summer. Since 2013, clocks have gone forward on the Friday before the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October.
Next clock change
2026 Saturday · clocks fall back
Clocks fall back by one hour · next week.
Daylight saving schedule
Major cities
Cities of Israel.
History
How Israel keeps time.
At independence in 1948, Israel kept the UTC+02:00 standard time used under the British Mandate since 1918. Summer time had already been used under the Mandate from 1940, and in 1948 the new state briefly used double summer time (UTC+04:00).
For decades, summer-time dates were set year by year, and from 2005 to 2012 the law tied the end of DST to the Jewish calendar: clocks went back on the Sunday before Yom Kippur, anywhere from mid-September to early October. This meant Israel's dates rarely matched European or American schedules.
The system proved confusing for international business and travel. In 2013, Israel transitioned to a more standardized system: DST (Israel Daylight Time, UTC+03:00) begins on the Friday before the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October, close to the European schedule. These rules have applied every year since 2013.
Did you know?
Things about Israel's time.
Israel's DST transitions have been a perennial source of political drama, with the Knesset sometimes voting on dates just days before changes take effect. Religious parties have historically pushed for earlier fall transitions (so the Yom Kippur fast ends earlier in the evening), while secular and business interests advocate for stability.
The astronomical misalignment is notable: Jerusalem sits near 35°E longitude but uses UTC+02:00 standard time, meaning solar noon occurs around 11:40 AM — earlier than places further west like London. This gives Israeli sunsets a relatively early feel by clock time.
Israel observes Israel Standard Time (IST, UTC+02:00) in winter and Israel Daylight Time (IDT, UTC+03:00) in summer, a one-hour shift like most countries that change their clocks.
A practical quirk: from the second Sunday in March until Israel switches in late March, and from Israel's switch back in late October until the first Sunday in November, the US is on daylight saving time while Israel is not, so the time difference with New York shrinks to 6 hours instead of the usual 7.
Convert
Israel to the world's clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Israel's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- When does Israel's Daylight Saving Time start and end?
- Since 2013, DST (Israel Daylight Time, IDT, UTC+03:00) has begun on the Friday before the last Sunday in March and ended on the last Sunday in October.
- Will Israel ever abolish Daylight Saving Time?
- The Knesset has debated abolishing DST multiple times. In 2018 there was serious momentum to end the practice, but no law was passed. The issue resurfaces periodically, so Israel's DST future remains uncertain.
- What is the time difference between Israel and the US East Coast?
- It varies. During Israel's summer (IDT, UTC+03:00) with US on EDT: 7 hours. When both are on standard time (Israel IST, US EST): 7 hours. During the gap weeks (mid-to-late March, and late October to the first Sunday in November) when only the US is on daylight saving time: 6 hours.
- Does the Israeli-Palestinian conflict affect timekeeping?
- Palestine sets its own daylight saving dates, which often differ from Israel's by days or weeks, so the West Bank and Gaza can be an hour apart from Israel for part of the year even though both use UTC+02:00 as standard time.
- Is Israel's timezone confusing for travelers?
- Not usually. Israel's clocks change on fixed dates: forward on the Friday before the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October. The main thing to watch is the few weeks in March and between late October and early November when the difference from most of the US is one hour less than usual.
- What is Israel Standard Time vs Israel Daylight Time?
- Israel Standard Time (IST) is UTC+02:00 during winter months. Israel Daylight Time (IDT) is UTC+03:00 during summer months. In December, Jerusalem sees sunrise around 6:30 AM and sunset around 4:45 PM.
Source: IANA tzdb2026d · Reviewed
Free · Developer API
This country, as JSON.
Its default time zone, zone and city counts and DST summary, from one endpoint.
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