The Government will shortly promulgate a law pardoning all illegal immigrants into Palestine, even those who are serving jail sentences, it was declared today by Doar Hayom, Hebrew daily.
The newspaper publishes what purports to be the content of the law, according to which all illegals who entered Palestine prior to August 31, 1935, will be freed with the payment of a one-pound immigration fee plus a small penalty.
The immigrants will be eligible for citizenship after two years residence in Palestine, the paper says.
The report follows promulgation by the Government of a new law providing severer punishment for new illegal immigrants and for those, including ship owners, who aid illegal immigration.
The new law was sharply criticized today in an editorial in Davar, labor Zionist daily. The paper stated that “the law is inhuman and we will not obey it.”
The law places the burden of proof of legality on the accused immigrant, requires ship captains to furnish passenger lists, renders small ships which aid illegal immigration liable to Government confiscation and provides for penalties upon tourists who overstay their allotted periods in the country.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
