My wife failed to return to Israel from a trip to the U.S.A. with the children. She was supposed to return three months ago but keeps making excuses about needing time with her family. I told her that I want her and our young children home and threatened to take legal action if she didn’t return in a week. She begged to stay on a little longer. She is still in the U.S.A. Is there a time – limit on bringing legal action ? I want to be patient but do not want to jeopardize getting the children back.
By: דיאנה שאלתיאל•Published on: 30 May, 2022Yes, there is a clear time limit. Israel and the United States are signatories to the Hague Convention on Civil Aspects of Child Abduction. Under this, a parent whose child has been wrongfully removed or wrongfully retained from the country they normally live in can bring an action within a year from the time of abduction. One of the defences available is that the children are resettled in their new environment so the sooner the action is brought the better.