Terms of Use

1. The Site is editorial

The Site publishes educational and editorial content about the State of Israel. Content is written from a stated pro-Israel and pro-religious editorial perspective, reflects the opinions and interpretations of the editors, and is provided for general information and civic education. It is not legal, financial, tax, medical, or professional advice. We make reasonable efforts to be accurate and to cite sources, but we do not warrant that any content is complete, current, or error-free.

Editorial commentary, headlines, characterizations of political actors and movements, historical framing, and interpretive analysis on the Site constitute opinion, rhetorical hyperbole, or fair comment on matters of public concern, are protected expression under the First Amendment, and are not intended as verifiable factual assertions except where an underlying fact is expressly cited and sourced. Where an article makes a factual claim, that claim is linked to a primary source or covered by the Site’s primary-source fallbacks (Knesset.gov.il, gov.il, Wikipedia’s Israel entry, and other authoritative references). Reports of official Israeli government proceedings, court filings, and public records are presented as fair-report privileged summaries of those proceedings.

1.1 Corrections and right of reply

We correct material factual errors. If you believe an article contains a factual error, contact admin@thestateofisrael.com with the article URL, the specific statement at issue, and supporting sources. We aim to acknowledge substantive requests within seven (7) days and, where a correction is warranted, to publish a dated correction on the affected page. Subjects of an article who believe they have been materially misrepresented may submit a concise response for editorial consideration; we retain sole editorial discretion over whether and how to publish it. See the Corrections Policy for the full process.

1.2 Accessibility

We design the Site to conform substantially to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. If you encounter an accessibility barrier, please contact admin@thestateofisrael.com and we will work in good faith to address it or to provide the information you need through an accessible alternative.

1.3 Editorial responsibility and independence

All articles on the Site are written or reviewed by a human editor, and Chuppah LLC holds editorial responsibility for their publication within the meaning of Article 50(4) of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (the EU AI Act). Where any portion of an article is machine-generated or machine-translated, it is subject to human editorial review before publication, and any material AI-generated element will be labeled inline.

Chuppah LLC is a Delaware limited liability company. It is not owned, directed, controlled, financed, or subsidized, in whole or in substantial part, by any foreign government, foreign political party, or foreign principal within the meaning of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, 22 U.S.C. §§611 et seq. Editorial decisions are made solely by U.S.-based staff. This attestation is intended to reflect the bona fide news-and-press-service posture recognized by 22 U.S.C. §611(d).

1.4 References to public figures, parties, and government bodies

References to public officials, political parties, government bodies, judicial figures, military branches, and their names, logos, or likenesses on the Site are made for news reporting, commentary, education, and criticism on matters of public concern. Such references constitute nominative fair use under the Lanham Act, are expressly exempt from federal dilution claims under 15 U.S.C. §1125(c)(3), fall within the news-reporting and news-commentary carve-outs to right-of-publicity claims, and are protected editorial expression under the First Amendment. Nothing on the Site implies sponsorship, endorsement, or affiliation.

1.5 Assent to these Terms

You agree to these Terms by (a) creating or signing into an account, (b) subscribing to our newsletter, (c) submitting comments, forum posts, thoughts, group posts, direct messages, connection maps, or other community content, or (d) affirmatively confirming at a sign-in or subscription prompt that you have read and agree to these Terms and to the Privacy Policy. We retain a dated record of your assent, including the version of these Terms in effect at that time. If you continue to use the Site after these Terms are updated, that continued use is also assent to the updated version.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to use the Site, and at least 18 years old (or the age of legal majority where you live) to create an account, post community content, send messages, or subscribe to the newsletter. If you are between 13 and the age of majority, you may use the Site only under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to these Terms on your behalf.

3. Accounts

You are responsible for the security of your account, for maintaining current login information, and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us at admin@thestateofisrael.com immediately if you suspect unauthorized use. We may suspend or terminate accounts that appear to be compromised, misused, or in violation of these Terms. You represent that any email address you provide is yours to use and that any information you supply is accurate.

4. User-Generated Content

The Site allows you to post comments, forum posts and replies, thoughts, thought comments, group posts and comments, connection maps, profile information, direct messages, and other content in places we designate (“User Content”). You retain ownership of your User Content, but by submitting it you grant Chuppah an irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive, transferable, sublicensable license to host, store, cache, reproduce, modify (for formatting), publish, publicly display, adapt, translate, and distribute the User Content in any media now known or later developed, for any purpose related to operating, promoting, or improving the Site. This license survives deletion of the User Content or your account to the extent necessary for backups, legal compliance, and archived copies previously distributed.

You represent and warrant that (a) you own or have all necessary rights to the User Content and (b) the User Content and its use as described above do not violate these Terms or any right of any third party.

4.1 Prohibited content

You may not post, submit, transmit, or link to User Content that:

• is unlawful, defamatory, libelous, obscene, pornographic, indecent, threatening, harassing, or hateful, or incites violence, or promotes discrimination based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other protected class;
• infringes anyone’s copyright, trademark, trade secret, patent, publicity, privacy, or other right;
• is knowingly false, misleading, deceptive, or intentionally spreads disinformation;
• contains malware, worms, viruses, or code designed to disrupt or damage the Site or any user;
• reveals another person’s private information without consent, including doxxing;
• impersonates any person or entity or misrepresents your affiliation;
• is spam, chain communications, unsolicited advertising, or bulk posting;
• solicits for, glorifies, directs funds to, or provides material support to any organization designated by the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under 8 U.S.C. §1189, listed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury on the OFAC Specially Designated Nationals list, or otherwise sanctioned under U.S. or EU law;
• violates any applicable law or these Terms; or
• is otherwise objectionable in our reasonable judgment.

Consistent with Twitter, Inc. v. Taamneh, 598 U.S. 471 (2023), our provision of general-purpose community features does not constitute knowing, substantial assistance to any user’s unlawful conduct. We cooperate with lawful process from U.S. federal law enforcement.

4.2 Moderation

We may — but are not required to — pre-screen, monitor, edit, shorten, remove, or refuse to publish any User Content, for any reason and without notice. We may investigate and take legal action against violations. We are not responsible for User Content posted by other users; opinions expressed in User Content are those of the individual poster and do not reflect the views of Chuppah.

For purposes of Article 14 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (the Digital Services Act): moderation is performed by human staff. We do not currently use automated content- recognition tools to make moderation decisions about User Content. We remove or disable access to User Content that is unlawful under U.S., EU, or Member State law, or that violates Section 4.1 above. Where we take moderation action against your User Content, we will provide a statement of reasons as described in Section 4.3 below and, as required by Article 17 DSA, submit that statement to the European Commission’s DSA Transparency Database.

4.3 Reporting illegal content and notice-and-action

To report User Content that violates these Terms or that you believe is illegal under U.S., EU, or Member State law, email admin@thestateofisrael.com (subject line “Notice — illegal content”) with:

1. a link (URL) to the specific content;
2. a clear explanation of why you believe the content is illegal or violates these Terms;
3. your name and email address (so we can acknowledge receipt); and
4. a statement, made in good faith, that the information in your notice is accurate and complete.

Consistent with Article 16 DSA, we will confirm receipt without undue delay and inform the notifier of our decision and the redress channels available. If we act on your User Content, we will send you a statement of reasons under Article 17 DSA describing the facts and the ground (legal provision or specific Community Rule) on which we relied, and how to appeal the decision. Appeals may be sent to admin@thestateofisrael.com within six months; a human reviewer will respond within fourteen (14) days.

4.4 Third-party content and Section 230

Comments, posts, and other User Content reflect the views of their authors, not those of Chuppah LLC, its editors, or its contributors. Consistent with 47 U.S.C. §230(c), Chuppah is an interactive computer service and is not the publisher or speaker of any User Content, and any editorial action we take to moderate, restrict, or remove content we consider objectionable is taken in good faith. Nothing in these Terms waives, and no editorial action by us is intended to waive, the protections afforded by 47 U.S.C. §230, any state-law equivalents, or the First Amendment.

Nothing in this Section is intended to disclaim liability for content or conduct that falls outside the immunity granted by 47 U.S.C. §230, including federal criminal law, federal intellectual-property claims, state intellectual-property claims to the extent §230(e)(2) does not preempt them, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, and 18 U.S.C. §1591 as amended by the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA-SESTA).

5. Copyright — DMCA notice and takedown

Chuppah respects the intellectual-property rights of others. If you believe material on the Site infringes your copyright, please send a written notice to our designated agent that includes the items below.

1. a physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or an authorized agent;
2. identification of the copyrighted work claimed to be infringed;
3. identification of the material claimed to be infringing, with enough detail for us to locate it (a URL is usually sufficient);
4. your address, telephone number, and email;
5. a statement that you have a good-faith belief the use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
6. a statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

Designated agent:
Chuppah LLC — DMCA Agent
Email: admin@thestateofisrael.com
Mailing: Chuppah LLC, Wilmington, Delaware, United States

Upon receiving a valid notice, we may remove or disable access to the identified material, notify the poster, and take other appropriate action.

5.2 Counter-notification

If you believe your material was removed or disabled in error or as a result of misidentification, you may submit a counter-notification under 17 U.S.C. §512(g) to our designated agent at admin@thestateofisrael.com. Your counter-notification must include:

1. your physical or electronic signature;
2. identification of the removed material and the location at which it appeared before removal (a URL is usually sufficient);
3. a statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification;
4. your name, address, and telephone number; and
5. a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the federal court in the District of Delaware (or, if your address is outside the United States, any judicial district in which we may be found) and that you will accept service of process from the person who provided the original notification or their agent.

Upon receipt of a valid counter-notification, we will forward it to the original complainant and, absent notice of a court action seeking to restrain the allegedly infringing activity within ten (10) to fourteen (14) business days, restore the material.

5.3 Repeat-infringer policy

In accordance with 17 U.S.C. §512(i), we have adopted and will reasonably implement a policy of terminating, in appropriate circumstances and at our sole discretion, the accounts of users who are the subject of repeated copyright notices we determine to be valid. Our DMCA agent is designated for notice under §512(c)(2); we intend to maintain registration with the U.S. Copyright Office DMCA Designated Agent Directory. The current agent contact is admin@thestateofisrael.com.

6. Our intellectual property

Except for User Content, all content on the Site — text, graphics, logos, code, and organization — is owned by Chuppah or its licensors and is protected by U.S. and international copyright and trademark law. “TheStateOfIsrael.com” and associated marks are trademarks of Chuppah LLC. Nothing in these Terms transfers any right in our intellectual property to you. You may view, download, and print content for personal, non-commercial use only, keeping all copyright and other proprietary notices intact.

7. Prohibited conduct

You agree not to:

• use the Site in any way that violates any applicable law or regulation;
• use the Site to send unsolicited commercial communications;
• attempt to interfere with, compromise, disable, or overload the Site or its security features;
• attempt to access accounts, systems, or data you are not authorized to access;
• use automated means (bots, scrapers, harvesters) except for well-behaved search-engine crawlers that respect robots.txt;
• use automated tools, scrapers, or crawlers to collect content from the Site for the purpose of training, fine-tuning, or evaluating any machine-learning model, large-language model, or generative-AI system, in whole or in part, without our prior written permission — nothing in the robots.txt file grants a license to any such use;
• reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to derive source code from the Site;
• frame, mirror, or resell the Site without our prior written permission (except that the /coalition page is expressly embeddable in third-party sites via <iframe>); or
• use the Site to develop a competing product.

8. Third-party links and services

The Site links to third-party sites and integrates with third-party services (for example, Google Sign-In, AWS SES). We do not control those services and are not responsible for their content, terms, or privacy practices. Your use of them is at your own risk.

9. Newsletter and communications

If you subscribe to our newsletter, we may send you updates you can opt out of at any time using the unsubscribe link in the message or by writing to admin@thestateofisrael.com. Any commercial email we send will include accurate sender information, an accurate subject line, a valid physical postal address in the message, and an opt-out mechanism that we honor within ten (10) business days, consistent with the CAN-SPAM Act, 15 U.S.C. §§7701 et seq. Transactional messages you request (magic-code logins, account notices, contact-form confirmations) are not marketing and continue while your account is active. We do not sell your email address.

All newsletters are sent from a domain owned or controlled by Chuppah LLC. We do not use falsified header information, third-party domain names without permission, or subject lines that misrepresent the message contents, consistent with California Business & Professions Code §17529.5, Washington RCW 19.190, and other applicable state anti-spam statutes. If you believe you received a message in violation of any such law, notify admin@thestateofisrael.com and we will investigate within ten (10) business days.

9.1 Paid services

The Site does not currently offer paid subscriptions or paid features. If we introduce paid services in the future, applicable refund, renewal, cancellation, and consumer- protection terms will be presented to you before you complete any purchase and will supplement these Terms.

10. Disclaimer of warranties

THE SITE AND ALL CONTENT ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, CHUPPAH DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, TITLE, ACCURACY, AND UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE OPERATION. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE IS SECURE OR FREE FROM VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL CODE.

WE MAKE NO REPRESENTATION THAT INFORMATION ON THE SITE IS CURRENT, COMPLETE, OR ACCURATE. USE THE SITE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

11. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL CHUPPAH, ITS MEMBERS, MANAGERS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, LICENSORS, OR AFFILIATES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, GOODWILL, OR USE, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THESE TERMS OR YOUR USE OF THE SITE, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

IN ANY EVENT, THE TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF CHUPPAH ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE TERMS OR YOUR USE OF THE SITE SHALL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS ($100).

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages; in such jurisdictions, our liability is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

12. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Chuppah, its members, managers, officers, employees, contractors, licensors, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from or related to: (a) your User Content; (b) your use of the Site; (c) your violation of these Terms; (d) your violation of any right of another; or (e) your violation of any applicable law. We reserve the right, at our own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to your indemnity, in which case you agree to cooperate with our defense.

13. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Site, or any portion of it, at any time, for any reason (including no reason), with or without notice. You may stop using the Site and delete your account at any time. Sections 4 (license grant), 6, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, and 16 survive termination.

14. Governing law

These Terms and any dispute arising out of or relating to them or to your use of the Site are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods does not apply.

15. Dispute resolution — arbitration and class-action waiver

Please read this section carefully. It affects your legal rights, including the right to file a lawsuit in court.

15.1 Informal resolution

Before starting any formal proceeding, you agree to contact us at admin@thestateofisrael.com and describe the dispute in good faith. The parties agree to negotiate in good faith for at least sixty (60) days before initiating arbitration.

15.2 Binding arbitration

Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Site that cannot be resolved informally shall be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules and, where twenty-five (25) or more similar demands are filed against Chuppah in a coordinated manner, the AAA Mass Arbitration Supplementary Rules and Consumer Mass Arbitration Fee Schedule (each as in effect at the time the demand is filed). Arbitration shall take place in Wilmington, Delaware, or by video conference. The arbitrator’s award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.

15.3 Class-action waiver

You and Chuppah agree that each may bring claims against the other only in your or its individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, consolidated, or representative action. Unless both parties agree otherwise, the arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person’s claims and may not otherwise preside over any form of a representative or class proceeding.

15.4 Exceptions

Either party may bring an individual action in small-claims court, and either party may seek injunctive or equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction for infringement or misappropriation of intellectual property, breach of confidentiality, or violations of Sections 4, 6, or 7 of these Terms.

15.5 Opt out of arbitration

You may opt out of this Section 15 by sending written notice to admin@thestateofisrael.com within thirty (30) days of first accepting these Terms. The notice must include your name, the email address associated with your use of the Site, and a clear statement that you wish to opt out of arbitration.

15.6 Venue for non-arbitrable claims

For any dispute not subject to arbitration under this Section 15, you and Chuppah agree to the exclusive jurisdiction of, and venue in, the state and federal courts located in New Castle County, Delaware, and each party waives any objection based on inconvenient forum.

15.7 Anti-SLAPP

Claims arising from statements published on the Site concerning matters of public concern — including editorial commentary about Israeli government, judiciary, political parties, religious communities, foreign relations, or public figures — are subject to Delaware’s Uniform Public Expression Protection Act, 10 Del. C. Ch. 44, including its expedited motion, stay, and fee-shifting provisions, and any arbitrator or court shall apply UPEPA (or a substantially equivalent anti-SLAPP statute, where UPEPA is unavailable) to the same extent a Delaware court would.

16. General

• Entire agreement. These Terms and the Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between you and Chuppah regarding the Site and supersede any prior agreement on the same subject.
• Severability. If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted, and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect. Where possible, an invalid provision shall be deemed replaced by a valid, enforceable provision that most closely reflects its intent.
• No waiver. Our failure to enforce any right or provision is not a waiver.
• Assignment. You may not assign these Terms. We may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
• Force majeure. We are not liable for delays or failures resulting from causes beyond our reasonable control, including without limitation acts of God; natural disasters; pandemics; strikes, labor disputes, or supply-chain disruptions; cyberattacks or denial-of-service events; armed conflict, terrorism, missile or drone attacks, or cybersecurity operations directed at Israeli or U.S. infrastructure; actions of governmental authorities; and government-ordered communications shutdowns or telecommunications failures.
• Headings. Section headings are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.
• Language. These Terms are drafted in English. Any translation is provided for convenience; the English version controls in any conflict.
• No third-party beneficiaries. These Terms do not create any third-party beneficiary rights.

17. EU users — DSA compliance and legal representative

Point of contact (DSA Article 12). Under Article 12 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act), users, EU Member States’ authorities, the European Commission, and the European Board for Digital Services may contact Chuppah LLC electronically at admin@thestateofisrael.com in English or Hebrew. Messages are reviewed by a human on business days; we do not require the use of automated tools to reach us.

Legal representative (DSA Article 13). Chuppah LLC intends to designate an established EU-based service provider to act as its legal representative for the purposes of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065. Until the designation is published here, EU authorities and users may address inquiries directly to us at admin@thestateofisrael.com.

Illegal content. To notify us of content you believe is illegal under EU or Member State law, follow the procedure in Section 4.3. We handle such notices under Article 16 DSA, issue statements of reasons for moderation actions under Article 17 DSA, and submit those statements to the European Commission’s public DSA Transparency Database.

Complaints and out-of-court dispute settlement. Users in the EU may complain about our moderation decisions to us as described in Section 4.3 and, where applicable, may refer disputes to a certified out-of-court dispute-settlement body under Article 21 DSA. Nothing in Section 15 of these Terms restricts an EU consumer’s access to remedies mandated by EU law.

18. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be announced on the Site. Your continued use of the Site after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

19. Contact

Chuppah LLC
Email: admin@thestateofisrael.com