Skip to content
Contact Us: 03-3724722 | 055-9781688 | [email protected]

Divorce and Kidnapping Children in Israel

Anat Levi
Anat Levi

This article addresses the topic of divorce and kidnapping children in Israel.  

kidnapping children in Israel

Background – Divorce and Kidnapping Children in Israel

While many often think of strangers when they think of child kidnapping, what we most often see is child kidnapping (or child abduction) by a parent who takes their children from their country of residence, removing them or retaining them abroad, without the consent of the other parent who is practicing their custody rights.  This frequently takes place with divorced or separated partners.  

Israeli Law on Child Kidnapping

Israel is a signatory to the Hague Convention, which seeks to protect the safety of children and custody rights of parents.  This convention stipulates the way that countries can operate together to expedite the legal process to return kidnapped children to their country of residence (or habitual residence).  If the country to which your children have been removed or retained is a signatory to the Hague Convention, the process will be able to move quickly. If your child was kidnapped and taken to a country that is not a signatory, there are still legal steps that you can take, but it will likely take longer.

What to Do about Kidnapped Children

If a child has been kidnapped, it is important to turn to the central authority in Israel, which is the International Department of the State Attorney’s Office.  In addition to this step, turning to a private attorney can help expedite the process and ensure that the parent is aware of all legal steps possible and that these steps are being taken. The central authority, often with the assistance of a private attorney, will assess the details of the case and then contact the central authority in the country to which your children were taken.  The court will move quickly to set a time to allow both parents or legal guardians to provide written statements, and a final hearing will follow a few weeks thereafter.  

It is important to note that, if the child was subject to domestic violence or some other sort of psychological or physical threat prior to being taken from their country of residence, the court will take this into consideration.  There are a number of other criteria the court will consider as well: if over a year has passed and returning the child will uproot them, the parent desiring the child’s return did not implement their custody rights or demonstrated consent to the child being taken abroad, returning the child might harm them, and if the child is mature enough, the child’s preference will be taken into consideration. 

This Series of Articles

This article is one in a longer series on child kidnapping and abduction.  For more information, see our articles on other topics, like the conditions for a case to be considered child abduction, how to choose a lawyer specializing in abduction law, the paperwork needed, and more.

Contact Us

Our law offices specialize in numerous legal fields, including family law, under which kidnapping children falls.  If you have a case dealing with kidnapping children in Israel — whether your child was brought to or taken from Israel — Advocate Anat Levi specializes in family law and can help you with all your legal needs. 

Contact Us

  • ✓ Valid number ✕ Invalid number
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Scroll To Top