Get Procedure and finalized by Rabbinical Judges. On 15 November 2016, the Get Procedure was officially regulated after State Attorney Shai Nitzan required criminal prosecution of men or women who refuse to grant or accept a divorce after being instructed to do so by a rabbinical court, although some said it would not have a dramatic impact since criminal proceedings will only be possible if the rabbinical court issues a rarely used ruling obligating a spouse to agree to the divorce. , the number of Jewish divorces granted per year has been increasing; 11,145 couples divorced in 2018. Israeli Jewish couples who marry in civil ceremonies outside Israel must divorce via the rabbinical courts. In 2018 the Knesset passed a law, slated to remain in effect for three years, allowing Israel’s rabbinical courts to handle certain cases of Jewish women wishing to divorce their Jewish husbands, even if neither spouse is an Israeli citizen. The judicial system can issue a stay of exit to a man undergoing a divorce if he neglects to fulfill his child support obligations. Under the nation's Capacity and Guardianship Law, child custody is almost always granted to the mother following a divorce. In 2012, however, an amendment was added to the law to ensure that both the father and any child of the divorced parents who is at least six years of age would share equal rights as the mother as state-appointed social workers determine child custody. The age of the child with equal privilege was later lowered to two in 2013. See also Civil marriage Common-law marriage Interfaith marriage in Judaism Same-sex marriage in Israel Unregistered cohabitation in Israel Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem Marriage in the Palestinian territories References Further reading External links Society of Israel Religion and politics