Israel’s failing postal service loses 1/8 of mail items — ombudsman

State Comptroller Yosef Shapira’s office releases a scathing report on the Israel Postal Company, saying that 13 percent of all letters or packages go missing and never reach their destination, and many others arrive after significant delays.

The Postal Company has struggled to modernize its operations and make them efficient despite years of public complaints, and its deputy CEO has acknowledged an “systemic service failure.”

The quality of the service provided to the public has deteriorated over the last decade, the report says, and postal costs have risen by 50% for private citizens and small businesses.

It gives an example from December 2017, when a large batch of letters sent by banks, insurance and telecommunications companies and other bodies — some likely containing personal and confidential information — were dumped in the street by employees of a mail delivery company.