Israeli Phone Formatter

Israeli Phone Formatter

Instructions

Step 1: Identify Phone Number Type

For the full prefix allocation table per carrier, consult references/prefix-allocation.md.

Step 2: Validate the Number

Run python scripts/validate_phone.py --number {input} to validate format and identify type.

If validating manually, apply these rules:

1. Strip all whitespace, hyphens, parentheses, and dots
2. Convert international prefix: +972 or 972 becomes leading 0
3. Match against known prefix patterns
4. Verify digit count (mobile / non-geographic = 10, landline = 9)

Common validation errors:

• Wrong digit count: Mobile numbers must be exactly 10 digits with the 0 prefix
• Palestinian carriers slipping through: 056 (Ooredoo Palestine, formerly Wataniya) and 059 (Jawwal) match the Israeli mobile shape but are Palestinian territories carriers. Flag them when business logic requires an Israeli SIM.
• 071, 078, or 079 rejected as invalid: Older regex patterns like 0(7[2-7]) reject 071 and 078 (multiple VoIP providers) and 079 (Widely, 019 Mobile, Annatel), all of which are allocated non-geographic prefixes. Use 07[1-9] instead (the class runs 071-079).
• Missing leading zero: Local numbers always start with 0 (except toll-free and star)

Step 3: Format or Convert

Local to international (strict E.164 for WhatsApp, Twilio, libphonenumber):

1. Remove leading 0
2. Prepend +972
3. Output digits only, no separators
4. Example: 052-1234567 becomes +972521234567

A hyphenated form like +972-52-123-4567 is for human display only. Pass it to strict E.164 parsers (google-libphonenumber, libphonenumber-js, WhatsApp Business API, AWS SNS) and they will reject it. Store the canonical no-separator form and only render the hyphenated form in UI.

International to local:

1. Replace +972 (or 972) with 0
2. Example: +972-2-625-1111 becomes 02-6251111

Important: Toll-free (1-800), premium (1-700), and star (*) numbers cannot be dialed internationally.

Step 4: Generate Code

When the user needs validation in code, provide a function using regex patterns from references/prefix-allocation.md. Include:

• Input sanitization (strip formatting characters: spaces, hyphens, parens, dots)
• International prefix normalization
• Type detection by prefix
• Digit count verification per type
• Strict E.164 emitter (digits only) alongside the hyphenated display form
• For maximum interop, recommend google-libphonenumber (Python) or libphonenumber-js (JS); they handle MNP-aware metadata, region inference, and E.164 output natively. Use this skill's regex patterns for lightweight validation when adding the dependency is overkill.

Step 5: Account for Mobile Number Portability (MNP)

Israel has had full mobile number portability since 2007. The prefix in a mobile number reflects the issuing carrier, not the active SIM provider. Do not bill, route SMS, or gate features on prefix-derived carrier inference. For live carrier identification use an HLR lookup or the operator's CNAM / portability lookup. Always surface this caveat when the user asks "which carrier owns 052?"

Examples

Example 1: Validate a Mobile Number

User says: "Is 052-1234567 a valid Israeli phone number?" Actions:

1. Strip formatting: 0521234567
2. Match prefix 052 = mobile (issued by Cellcom; live carrier may differ due to MNP)
3. Verify 10 digits total Result: Valid Israeli mobile number (originally issued by Cellcom). E.164: +972521234567

Example 2: Convert to International

User says: "Convert 02-6251111 to international format" Actions:

1. Strip formatting: 026251111
2. Match prefix 02 = Jerusalem landline
3. Drop leading 0, prepend +972 Result: +972-2-625-1111 for display, or +97226251111 for E.164 / WhatsApp

Example 3: Batch Validation

User says: "Validate this list of phone numbers for my CRM import" Actions:

1. Run python scripts/validate_phone.py --batch --input contacts.csv
2. Report valid / invalid counts with specific errors per row, including 056 / 059 flagged as non-Israeli Result: Summary table with validation status per number

Bundled Resources

Scripts

• scripts/validate_phone.py -- Validates, formats, and converts Israeli phone numbers. Supports single number validation, batch CSV processing, format conversion between local and international, and strict E.164 output. Run: python scripts/validate_phone.py --help

References

• references/prefix-allocation.md -- Complete Israeli phone prefix allocation table per Ministry of Communications, including issuing-carrier attribution for mobile prefixes (050-058 plus Palestinian 056 / 059), area codes for landlines, non-geographic ranges (071-079), MNP disclaimer, and E.164 / libphonenumber compatibility guidance.

Recommended MCP Servers

No Israeli-telecom-specific MCP server is currently in the directory. For general phone-number parsing, the libphonenumber-js library (called from agent code) is the most widely-relied-on source of truth and matches what WhatsApp Business API, Twilio, and major messaging SDKs expect.

Reference Links

Gotchas

• Israeli mobile numbers are 10 digits (05X-XXXXXXX) while landlines are 9 digits (0X-XXXXXXX). Agents may apply a single validation length for all Israeli numbers.
• When converting to international format (+972), the leading zero must be dropped: 052-1234567 becomes +972521234567, not +9720521234567. Agents frequently include the extra zero.
• WhatsApp Business API, Twilio, and libphonenumber require strict E.164 (digits only, no hyphens). The display form +972-52-123-4567 will fail validation. Store digits-only and render hyphens only for humans.
• Mobile Number Portability has been live since 2007. The prefix indicates the original issuer, not the current carrier. Do not infer the active SIM from 052, 054, etc.
• 056 and 059 match the Israeli mobile shape but are Palestinian carriers (Ooredoo Palestine, Jawwal). For Israeli-resident business logic, flag them separately rather than treating them as Israeli mobile numbers.
• 055 is a multi-MVNO range (Cellcom, 019 Mobile, Widely, Rami Levy, Cellact, Pelephone all issue 055 numbers); do not pin it to a single carrier.
• Israeli special numbers (police 100, ambulance 101, fire 102) are short codes that should not be formatted with country codes or area codes.
• 077 is a Hot Telecom non-geographic range (not a generic VoIP catch-all). 078 and 079 are commonly used by other VoIP / non-geographic providers (Widely, 019 Mobile, Annatel) and are both frequently missed by older 0(7[2-7]) regexes.
• Israeli area codes changed historically (02 for Jerusalem, 03 for Tel Aviv, 04 for Haifa, 08 for south, 09 for Sharon). Agents may use outdated area code mappings.
• Allocated Israeli mobile prefixes are 050, 051, 052, 053, 054, 055, 058, plus 056 and 059 for Palestinian carriers. 057 remains unallocated.

Troubleshooting

Error: "Valid prefix but wrong digit count"

Cause: Mixing up mobile (10 digits) and landline (9 digits) lengths Solution: Mobile / non-geographic numbers always have 10 digits including the 0. Landlines have 9. Count digits after stripping all formatting.

Error: "078 or 079 rejected as invalid"

Cause: The regex 0(7[2-7]) excludes both 078 and 079, which are real allocations (Widely, 019 Mobile, Annatel and others). Solution: Use 07[1-9] for the non-geographic class. The bundled validate_phone.py already has this fix.

Error: "Number starts with 05 but prefix not recognized"

Cause: Not all 05X prefixes are allocated to Israeli consumer mobile (057 is unused; 056 / 059 are Palestinian). Solution: Check references/prefix-allocation.md. Israeli consumer mobile: 050, 051, 052, 053, 054, 055, 058. Palestinian (flag separately): 056, 059.

Error: "Cannot convert toll-free to international"

Cause: 1-800 and 1-700 numbers are domestic-only Solution: These numbers have no international equivalent. If the user needs international reach, suggest providing a standard landline or mobile number instead.

Error: "WhatsApp / Twilio rejects +972-52-123-4567"

Cause: Hyphenated form is not strict E.164; downstream parsers want digits only. Solution: Strip separators before sending. Use validate_phone.to_e164() or phonenumbers.format_number(num, PhoneNumberFormat.E164) to produce +972521234567.