Transport Minister Shimon Peres is drafting legislation for the Knesset that would provide sentences of up to life imprisonment for airplane hijackers or persons who attempt to hijack aircraft it was learned today. Persons who damage aircraft would face sentences of up to 20 years. Mr. Peres’ draft would authorize Israeli courts to try offenders whose acts against aircraft were committed outside of Israeli territory and would permit flight captains to detain any passenger who endangered the safety of the aircraft. Israel’s airline. El Al. meanwhile has rejected a complaint by Pan American Airways that it acted unfairly by diverting two suspicious-looking passengers from one of its own flights to the American carrier. The two passengers, carrying Senegalese passports tried to book passage on an El Al flight from Amsterdam to New York but were turned down, according to El Al, because they aroused suspicion and the flight was full. They were advised to try Pan American. El Al said it notified the pilot of the Pan Am jet of the suspicious nature of the two passengers but by then the U.S. jet had already taken off and continued to New York. The Jerusalem Post reported today that Israel sent another warning to the PFLP that terrorists in Israeli custody would suffer “serious consequences” unless all hostages held in Jordan were released. According to the Post the warning was conveyed to PFLP headquarters in Jerusalem by six prominent West Bank and Gaza Arabs who were expelled to Lebanon yesterday for alleged collaboration with the terrorists.
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