The Knesset adopted today an amendment to the citizenship law which grants Israeli citizenship in absentia to any Jew abroad who requests it but is prevented by circumstances beyond his control from coming to Israel. The amendment is intended primarily for Jews in the Soviet Union. It passed its second and third readings by a vote of 85-1. The pro-Moscow New Communist (Rakach) faction was opposed. Uri Avneri of Haolam Hazeh abstained. Several government ministers had reservations about the measure before it was introduced. They felt that the granting of extra-territorial citizenship was superfluous. But the government agreed to present the bill to the Knesset under pressure from Soviet Jews in Israel. The measure authorizes the Minister of Interior, at his discretion, to grant citizenship under the Law of Return to a person who has requested it, who has expressed a desire to settle in Israel and who is entitled to admission under the Law of Return even though he is unable to immigrate. Supporters of the measure said it was designed to provide solace to persons prevented from emigrating and would assure them that their aspiration was a legitimate one and give them the feeling that they “belonged.”
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