The Ministerial Committee on Legislation on Sunday ordered coalition legislators to support a controversial amendment that would give fathers legal parity with mothers in determining custody of young children in a divorce.

The bill, which is sponsored by MK Yoav Kish (Likud), would grant joint custody to both parents for all children, regardless of age, if the parents cannot reach an agreement between themselves. Under the current law, children under the age of 6 are placed with the mother if the parents are not in agreement, unless the mother has been judged incapable of caring for the child.

The amendment is expected to go to the Knesset for a preliminary vote on Wednesday.

This bill will be advanced in parallel with a different amendment on the issue being drawn up by Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked.

In November a similar government bill was defeated in the Knesset by the opposition, with the support of some coalition MKs.

According to the preamble to Kishs bill, current research favors joint custody after a divorce, for the welfare of the child. In their formative years children need both parents in their lives for proper development of their character. Joint parenting also conforms to the principle of equality and the rights of both the mother and the father to parent their children even after the dissolution of the family unit.