Legal Procedure for Child Abduction in Israel

This article addresses the legal procedure for child abduction in Israel based on the Hague Convention.

Child Abduction in Israel

As we have discussed in other articles, there are two primary types of child abduction — those regarding removal from their country of residence or retention in a foreign country — without the consent of all legal guardians.

Legal Procedure for Child Abduction

It is imperative to move through the legal process quickly, as once a child has been removed or retained elsewhere for over a year, according to the Hague Convention, a court is not obliged to order the immediate return of the child.

If you are a parent or legal guardian who shares custody of a child, and the other parent or guardian has removed or retained the child abroad without your permission, you need to take the following steps.

Contact the central authority, which in Israel, is the International Department of the State Attorney’s Office.
The Israeli central authority, often in conjunction with a private attorney, will look into the details of your case, and then they will fax these details to the central authority in the country abroad where your child is located.
Your lawyer will pursue important legal steps, like indicating that your child may not be taken to a third country, that their passport should be confiscated to prevent this from happening, and so forth.
The court will often set a time for both parents or legal guardians to attend and provide written statements.
A final hearing will follow, often a few weeks after the initial hearing.
The court will make a final ruling ordering or rejecting the request for the child’s return.

This Series of Articles

This article is one in a longer series related to child abduction law and relevant legal procedures. For more information on the issue, see our articles on how to choose a lawyer who specializes in child abduction, returning abducted children to Israel, and child abduction from Israel to a country abroad.

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