My wife is Israeli-born but we settled in the U.K as I am British-born and have my business there. She took our two children on holiday to Israel to see her family – all with my blessing but did not catch the return flight, informing me that she would want return to England although I did not agree. How can I get the children back ?
By: דיאנה שאלתיאל•Published on: 30 May, 2022Your wife has “wrongfully retained” your children in Israel as your consent to them being abroad was for a limited period until their scheduled return. Wrongful retention is one form of child abduction recognized in the Hague Convention On The Civil Aspects of Child Abduction (1980) to which both Israel and the U.K. are signatories. You can make an application under the convention to the Central Authority in England for the return of your child. After being checked your application will be passed on to the central authority in Israel – The State Attorney’s Department – and an application will be made to the family court in Israel for your child’s return. Unless one of the defences listed under the convention is proved, the family court will order the children’s return to the U.K.