Gideon Sa'ar
Gideon Sa'arTomer Neuberg/Flash90

MK Gideon Sa'ar (National Unity) has proposed a bill to fairly divide child support payments.

The introduction to the bill notes that the current situation creates many difficulties, and there are significant differences in the rulings regarding how much child support a parent must pay. In addition, there is a lack of uniformity regarding how to divide the expenses between the parents. Most of the time, the lion's share of expenses falls on the father, irrespective of his financial situation, but in today's reality, most mothers work and sometimes even earn more than the father, and this should be taken into consideration.

"These circumstances lead to a situation in which the child support payments are one of the greatest obstacles in an attempt to solve the conflict between the parents and create calm between the two sides which will allow them to safely start their separate lives and ensure the welfare of the children in the best way possible," the bill explains. "In addition, this creates a burden on the court, due to the many hearings on the issues of child support."

The bill aims to ensure financial support for the child and to create an equal division between the parents, while protecting the interests of the child and ensuring a fair and objective division between the parents.

"This bill will lead to a more fair division of child support payments, prevent disagreements between the parents, and reduce the burden on the courts," the bill notes. "In addition, it will regulate in a comprehensive fashion the issue of financial support for children in Israel - while focusing on the interests of the child. The process will create uniformity, transparency, and certainty in the laws of child support and will reduce the number of legal discussions between the parents."

The bill is based on a legal memorandum which was disseminated during Sa'ar's term as Justice Minister.