A bill aimed at strengthening the hand of the law against husbands who refuse to issue their wives a divorce (known as a get in Jewish Law) under court order has been authorized for its first reading in the Knesset. The Knesset Law Committee unanimously approved the bill, which was proposed by MK Gila Finkelstein of the National Religious Party. The proposed bill includes amendments to existing laws and regulations, such as authorizing courts to send a get-refuser to solitary confinement for up to 14 days. MK Finkelstein called the amendments an important step towards easing the suffering of many women whose husbands have refused to issue the court-ordered divorce document.



The number of divorces in Israel has dropped at a not-inconsiderable rate of late. The Central Bureau of Statistics reports 9,912 Jewish divorces for the year 2001, while in 2002, there were 9,004.