Dualism in the Institution of Marriage Regulation System in the State of Israel

Abstract

The paper discusses one of the most interesting institutions of Israeli family law, namely, the institution of judicial dissolution of marriage. The specificity of this institution lies in the fact that divorce proceedings are carried out by religious courts that have been operating for more than one century. In the State of Israel, along with the system of religious courts, a special, non-denominational court of general jurisdiction, called the Family Court, has been established and operated. The jurisdiction of this Court includes consideration and resolution of issues related to guardianship of minors and incapacitated individuals, that is, all those cases that arise as a result of the dissolution of marriage. At the same time, the issues of confirming the existence of marital relations and their termination are assigned to the exclusive jurisdiction of religious courts. If the spouses, by their religion, belong to Judaism or Islam, dissolution of a marriage is only possible by a decision of a religious court. The dissolution of a marriage between spouses belonging to Christianity is carried out in the general civil Family Court that operates under a specially developed law with respect to cases that are deemed special for Israel. Family matters, including the dissolution of marriages, in the Druze religious community are dealt with by a special judicial instance, the Druze court that differs from the courts of general jurisdiction.