Israel Adjusts Experience Rules for West Bank-Trained Imaging Technicians but Keeps Separate Licensing Tracks

Israel's Health Ministry has eased licensing requirements for medical imaging technicians educated at Palestinian universities in the West Bank. The changes follow dismissals of hundreds of technicians after the Knesset passed the Imaging Law in 2024, which revoked recognition of degrees from those institutions and applied the new rules retroactively.

The ministry introduced exemptions for X-ray technicians with prior clinical experience and updated transitional provisions after receiving inquiries from hospitals and imaging centers.

Under the revised rules, six years of experience at 50 percent employment now counts toward the three-year full-time requirement. Work hours are calculated according to actual hours worked rather than formal job definitions, and hospital experience now qualifies toward a community license. Periods of maternity leave, sick leave, and reserve duty are recognized as part of accumulated seniority.

Technicians awaiting licensing exams may continue working under supervision for a limited period. The passing grade on the state licensing exam for community settings was lowered from 70 to 60. The Imaging Law had barred many technicians from completing practical training or sitting for ministry exams.

Hospitals and imaging centers in peripheral regions reported acute staffing shortages as a result. At least one-third of the approximately 2,700 registered imaging technicians were trained at institutions in Jenin, Nablus, East Jerusalem, and Jordan. The number of MRI scans performed in Israel rose from about 250,000 per year to over 500,000 within a decade.

3 million CT scans are performed annually. An estimated 85-90 percent of registered technicians are currently working in the profession. Technicians must still choose between separate hospital and community licensing tracks with no path between them.