Child Custody / Visitation / Contact

A: You can file a plea at the Family Court where the minor lives, for temporary residence or visitation rights in Israel, and also request that a social worker/welfare officer be appointed by the court to conduct file report and submit recommendations on the matter. This will involve clarifying the background and relationships within the family unit, including the relationships of your adult children with you and your ex-wife, and how this affects the relationship with your minor son.

A: In this case, you can apply to the Family court with a request to order the Ministry of Interior to issue a passport for the minor. The procedure will be filed against the ex-husband and against the Ministry of Interior. If after hearing the parties’ positions, the court is convinced that there is no justification for restricting the minor’s freedom of movement, then the court is authorized to order the Ministry of Interior to issue a passport to the minor, despite the father’s objection to this.

A: You are describing a situation of parental alienation. Before taking legal action, it is advisable to seek family psychological therapy to repair the relationship. But if this is not possible, you should file a petition for urgent relief due to ​​parental alienation, in the family court. As part of the application, you must prove that parental alienation does indeed exist, as you claim. To do this, you will need to present documentation of attempts to maintain contact with the child, such as emails, correspondence, external testimonies, reports from social workers, psychologists, medical records, which may support your claim, and prove that parental alienation does indeed exist. The court will generally refer the parties and the child to treatment options, an assistance unit, treatment centers, psychologists, diagnostics, and in more urgent cases, will appoint a caregiver. In extreme situations, the court has the authority to remove the child from parental custody and declare him a needy minor, if this indeed serves the child’s best interests.

You should file a plea at the Family Court in Israel asking the Court to set parental/visitation time between you and your minor son in Israel and in Norway including virtual communication (i.e. Facetime, WhatsApp, phone etc.) and ask the Court to order your ex-wife not to be present at the times of communication and contact with your son. You may also ask the Court to appoint a social worker to file a report about the family situation and give recommendations accordingly. The Family Court recognizes the right of a minor to have a meaningful and ongoing relationship with both his parents, for the sake of the minor child’s welfare and wellbeing.

You should file a plea at the Family Court in Israel, to enforce your Divorce Agreement. If your plea is accepted, you need to have the decision recognized and enforced, by the Court in Denmark (“mirror order”).

NO! Although it is legally possible to use section 21 of the Hague Convention to file regarding ensuring visitation rights, since your minor children as well as your ex-wife and yourself have lived in Israel for years, therefore, the issue of visitation will be examined at The Family Court in Israel based on the Israeli law. This is how the Family Court in Haifa ruled on January 8^th 2025, in similar circumstances (Family Case # 54663-08-24).

Yes, it would be quite acceptable for a court to set visitation rights between grandparents and grandchildren following submission of a plea to this effect, regardless of whether the father is alive or not, whenever contact is denied, provided this is in line with the recommendations of a court-appointed social worker and/or agreement between the parties.

As a guideline , the frequency of visitation rights between minors and grandparents set is usually less than that set between minors and a non-custodial parent, though each case would be decided on its merits .

Yes. If a custodial parent does not respond to gentle, or assertive feedback from the non-custodial parent about the latter’s freedom of choice to spend visitation with the child as he/she sees fit, providing this is in the minor’s good, then application can be made to the family court to intervene . It will probably appoint a social worker who will meet with the parties and give recommendations on the matter. The court usually adopts these and makes appropriate instructions about visitation, or delegates its powers on this matter to the social worker.