Does a father whose children have been abducted to Israel and who brings Hague convention proceedings for their return , have to fly out and attend hearings in the Israeli court?
By: דיאנה שאלתיאל•Published on: 02 May, 2022No! The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of Child Abduction (1980) does not oblige the left-behind parent to attend hearings, though Israeli courts normally request this. It is possible to conduct cross examination of the Plaintiff (parent seeking the return) by video-conference, as in a case which was heard by Petach Tikva Family Court. The father, represented by our legal practice, was being cross examined by video conference from Montreal, Canada, seeking the return of his five year old son, in a an alleged wrongful retention case.