It official: The rapidstart magnetic ballasts were completely abandoned in Israel, after Eltam discontinued their high power factor rapidstart autotransformer ballasts for the US F96T12 110W HO T12 lamps (Which is the last israeli made rapidstart ballast available), as they aren't appears anymore in their catalog. So today we have in fluorescent lighting only the following ballasts:
1. Preheat chock magnetic ballasts (The only magnetic ballast in Israel still in production, including the ones with the integrated electronic starter)
2. Electronic instant start ballasts
3. Electronic programmed start ballasts
4. Electronic rapidstart ballast (Energy saving CFLs only)
Gaash lighting, still makes fixtures for the US F96T12 HO T12 lamps, but i think in very small quantities with the remaind stock of rapidstart ballasts, and will soon be discontinued in the near future, because no new ballast are available to them.
The most common ballast for T8 lamps in Israel is of course, preheat low and medium power factor magnetic ballasts.

It seems that Eltam in my country starts to abandon their magnetic ballasts, since many of their magnetic ballasts disappeared from their online catalogs. These includes a preheat magnetic low power factor ballast for 40W T12 or 36W T8.
It is possible that eltam will completely discontinue their preheat magnetic ballasts for fluorescent lighting (Except "Perfectstart" ballasts with internal electronic starter) and instead will start to import the Vossloh-Schwabe (VS) preheat (Programmed/Rapid start) HF electronic ballasts.

Most likely you will still find magnetic ballasts only in imported Chinese fittings. It seems that Israel has some protectionist tariffs on the import of lighting parts and fixtures, and some form of market protection giving preference to local distributors. Thus they will go to unreliable electronic ballasts that barely last out the warranty period.

Chinese fixutres with magnetic ballasts do imported to Israel. Gaash lighting electronic ballasted fluorescent fixtures uses Helver electronic ballasts which are of good quality. However i indeed saw israelis commercial fixtures that uses chinese instant start electronic ballasts and without electrode fusing.
See here: http://www.lighting-gallery.net/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-46177 and here: http://www.lighting-gallery.net/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-43569 for Israelis fixtures (Non Gaash lighting) that uses these ballasts.
Helver electronic ballasts that used and imported by Gaash lighting and VS electronic ballasts imported by Eltam are considered of very good quality electronic ballasts.