To circumvent the Israeli law that prohibits polygamy, Odeh, 57, from the village of Lakiya, north of Beersheba in the northern Negev, got himself a second wife through the so-called cohabitation marriage. The marriage-like relationship is concluded under a document ratified by a lawyer without registering a marriage contract in the Sharia courts.
Odeh, a member of the Bedouin tribe who refused to reveal his full name for fear of legal repercussions, told Al-Monitor, “I opted for this type of unofficial marriage to keep my first wife from losing Israeli National Insurance benefits. I wanted a second spouse to expand my family. Our tribe values big families and polygamy, even if in some cases having a second wife without the consent of the first one would cause various family problems that may culminate in divorce.”
