The Knesset called yesterday on the West German government and the Bundestag to abolish the statute of limitations on prosecuting Nazi criminals and see that all are brought to trial. The Knesset unanimously demanded the government continue its efforts to convince West Germany to do so. The Bundestag is expected to vote on the issue within the next few days. Likud MK Moshe Meiron left for Germany in order to exert his influence there among Bundestag members.
The Knesset discussed the issue at the request of Meiron and Independent Liberal Knesseter Gideon Hausner. Hausner, head of Yad Vashem, said that the Bundestag members would have to decide on an issue which had a unique moral and historical dimension. NRP MK Pinhas Schoenmann warned that if the statute of limitations remains in force, thousands of Nazi criminals will serve as the spearhead for the revival of the Nazi movement whose buds can already be seen.
Democratic Movement Knesseter Akiva Noff said that whoever would vote for the statute would vote for abetting murder. If the Bundestag votes to release itself of the responsibility, Israel should reconsider the relations between the state of the victims and the state of the murderers, he said.
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