The famous
No Exit Order. It's like a trap.
Israelis threatened with jail if they try to leave
The brutality of domestic family laws in Israel has taken more lives than armed conflict. But among the living there is still a sense of despair and desperation as people continue to battle with poverty, parental alienation and a system so corrupted by greed it takes one’s breath away.
Where are the headlines? Where is the indignation of a society which doesn’t even blink when another person is found hanging or has jumped from a building, no longer able to cope with a system which must be exposed for what it really is? It is a money making machine.
Below is an interview with an American citizen, Rick Myers of the state of Oregon, who fell foul of Israeli extortion and has suffered every single day for almost eight years. He is not the only one: there are many foreigners with similar stories, and many thousands of Israelis trapped against their will in the country. He is also in my book, which gives a detailed account of the disintegration of one man, one representing many thousands.
[Marianne Azizi] Give us a little bit of background into your situation.
[
Rick Myers] From 1996 until January 2000 I worked in Israel as an expatriate managing a construction project for Intel. My company is based out of Portland Oregon. During my time in Israel, I met Ranya and we eventually married in 1998. Our first son, Dean, was born in September 1999 and then we relocated back to the USA for another project in Arizona.
In 2002, we moved back to Portland, Oregon, and later that year Ranya became pregnant with our second son, Adi.
In February 2003 she asked to go back to Israel to be with her family and deliver our son there, and I said OK. Our son was born in July 2003. I flew there several times to be with them and the more I discussed plans on her return, the more she seemed to resist and wanted to stay longer. After two and a half years of this, she simply refused to return even for a visit.
I am convinced this was the plan all along and that she was coached by an attorney. She didn’t seem to care whether I moved back or not, but what was most important was that the support cheques kept coming and I frequently got requests for increases to the point where I could not afford it.
I finally filed for divorce in Israel, as I was told categorically that was where I had to file if I wanted custody rights to my sons. This is what I did and the story turns sideways from there. I did get an Israeli court order that provided me with parental rights to my sons in Israel and America, but that became worthless once her lawyers petitioned a judge to slap me with a No Exit Order.
[Question] What exactly is a No Exit Order?
[Answer] It is a court order preventing someone from leaving Israel. They are easy to obtain but almost impossible to lift. Israeli law is specific with respect to No exit Orders on foreigners. They must
not be used on foreigners to secure support but that’s exactly what happened to me and I was stuck in the country for over five weeks and my job in America was in jeopardy.
At this point her lawyers began taunting me and threatening that I would not be allowed to leave Israel unless I agreed to pay whatever amount they demanded, if I ever wanted to get out. At the time, they told my they would accept USD 300,000 lump sum to be paid out immediately and then USD 6,000 per month support until my sons were 18.
They knew I didn’t have the money and also knew my monthly income wouldn’t support these payments, but demanded I get it from my parents who were retired. They even had the balls to suggest my parents sell their Motorhome to get the money!
I had two hearings regarding the No Exit Order and the judge eventually ruled I had to pay a security deposit of USD 100,000 before they would allow me to leave. Not having the money and not being able to support myself in Israel, I found a way out illegally and now cannot go back until I am legally allowed freedom of travel in and out of that country.
An Oregon Judge later ruled that Israel’s treatment of me may have violated my constitutional rights.
[Q] Why didn’t you go to the US Embassy for help at the time?
[A] I did get some help from the US government after I left, but it botched a welfare visit and two embassy officials were arrested. Needless to say, they decided they could no longer help me. They wouldn’t do anything for me when I was trapped as they claimed they couldn’t get involved in “domestic issues”. I have since learned the government travel warnings indicate that, for US citizens travelling to Israel, they are at potential risk of being involuntarily held against their will. Obviously, those warnings absolve the US from helping its own people to be freed.