The Israeli parliament approved a law according to which, from July 10, new repatriates will not be able to receive a passport (darkon) in the first year of residence in the country. Now, instead of it, relocators will be issued a special travel document for crossing the border (loesse pass), writes The Times of Israel.
The law cancels an agreement that, since 2017, allowed new Israelis who acquired citizenship under the “law of return” to immediately receive a full-fledged passport.
Darkon is an international passport of Israel, which allows citizens-residents of the country to travel abroad without issuing visas to 161 countries of the world, including the United States and the Schengen area, and is valid for 10 years. Lesse pass, in contrast, is valid for five years and provides visa-free entry to 61 countries.
Changes to the legislation were made against the backdrop of a powerful wave of repatriation from Russia and Ukraine, which began in February 2022, the newspaper notes. According to the 13tv channel, about 41% of Russians who were given Israeli citizenship returned to Russia.
According to the new version of the law, in order to receive the darkon, new immigrants will need to live in Israel for a year to confirm that the country has become their main place of residence.
In the 12 months since the beginning of the Russian military special operation in Ukraine, 159,100 Russian citizens entered Israel, of which 50,900 are repatriates, the rest are tourists, the Israeli Interior Ministry reported in the spring.
Source: Rosbalt
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
