israeli-whatsapp-business
Israeli WhatsApp Business
Instructions
Step 0: Decide whether the user needs the Platform at all
Most Israeli small businesses are on the free WhatsApp Business app, not the WhatsApp Business Platform (Cloud API). Ask first. If the user only needs a catalog, quick replies, labels and manual chats, the app is the right answer and the rest of this skill is overhead. Route to the Platform only for automation, templates at scale, CRM sync or webhooks. Two consequences:
- A number already on the WhatsApp Business app must be migrated to the Platform, and it loses its existing chat history in the process.
- Platform access needs a business portfolio, a WABA and a system user token. A non-technical owner will usually go through a BSP instead.
Meta Business Verification is the gate most Israeli businesses trip on. A new business portfolio is capped at a messaging limit of 250 (see Step 3.5), and verifying the business is one of the paths that raises it to 2,000. It is also a prerequisite for the green Official Business Account badge. For an Israeli entity, expect to upload the company registration (ח.פ. for a company, ע.מ. for an עוסק) plus a utility bill or bank statement whose legal name and address match the registration exactly. Mismatched Hebrew and English spellings of the same company name are a very common rejection cause.