A general amnesty bill passed on first reading in the Israel Knesset today. Devised as a national expression of thankfulness for the victory which delivered the country from possible extermination, the bill affects some 600 people now serving prison terms, plus about 800 whose cases are pending before the courts.
Exempted from the amnesty are those arrested for crimes involving the security of the nation, as well as those serving sentences under the law against Nazis and their collaborators and those serving terms above ten years.
Under the terms of the law, people charged with income tax violations will be given a chance to make good by payment of their indebtedness as their financial means permit. The law is the second amnesty authorized in Israel; the first was approved In 1949 on the occasion of Israel’s victory in its War for Independence.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
