When all alternatives fail, then in an extreme case the court can order the custodial parent to be imprisoned for contempt of court, as happened in Ashdod a few years ago. For over three years the mother had prevented the father from having any contact with the daughter, and had consistently refused to co-operate with court –appointed experts and social services staff who had tried to establish some relationship between the two. The mother had been determined to cut the father off from the daughter completely , causing the latter emotional damage ,the court held. Given the total alienation between the two parents and the extreme circumstances of the case, there was no choice but to imprison the mother immediately for contempt of court and for a framework to be found for the daughter so that she could receive appropriate treatment.

In the most extreme cases, a parent who prevents a child seeing the other parent can even lose custody.