The Constitution Committee has unanimously approved (in both second and third readings) proposed legislation for the resolution of family disputes which would anchor the provisions in law.
The Family Dispute Resolution Law had been voted in as a temporary provision for three years, which was then extended to four, in order to examine its implications and ensure that the legislation achieved its stated goals. It will now become a permanent arrangement, designed to assist family members to resolve disputes via arbitration rather than resorting to the courts.
Any person wishing to file a claim in a matter of a family dispute is required to first submit to the court a request for the resolution of the dispute, which is addressed to the Assistance Unit at either a family court or a religious court. Only in cases where the unit fails to arbitrate a settlement does the case come before the court itself.