The Turkish authorities acted today to prohibit tours to Israel arranged by shipping lines in order to prevent Turkish Jews from emigrating to Israel without securing official permission. As a result of the ban on these tours, a cruise which was to have commenced this week was cancelled at the last minute.
Tourists are enabled to leave the country on what is known as a common passport, prepared by the shipping agent and covering all the tourists aboard the ship. This eliminates the long and tedious formalities with which Turkish citizens have to apply in order to leave the country. A Turkish citizen can obtain a passport only if his trip is connected with study, health or business or if he is visiting close relatives abroad.
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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.