More Israelis relinquish citizenship in 2007
Interior Ministry makes public that 867 Israelis decided to give up citizenship in 2007; represents 12% rise from 2006. Most requests from Israelis living abroad in Germany and Holland
The number represents a 12% rise in citizenship cancellation requests from last year.
The Interior Ministry indicated that most of the requests were received from Israelis living in Western countries. The highest number of requests came from Israelis living in Germany.
"Some of the Israelis who requested to renounce their citizenship are young people who went to live in countries that do not allow its residents to be dual-citizens – (citizens of) Israel and the local country, such as Germany and Holland," Ronen Yerushalmi, an official form the Interior Ministry's Population Administration, said.
"In addition, there are people who are trying to get security and other jobs, primarily in then United States, where employees are forbidden from holding foreign citizenships.
"Another reason that we saw a lot this year was the Israeli passport law. According to the law, an Israeli that arrives in Israel must present his or her Israeli passport at Ben-Gurion Airport, which obligates Israelis living abroad to go to the local consulate every couple of years to renew their passports," Yerushalmi said.
Recently, the authorities have been much more strongly enforcing the passport clause and this has discouraged Israelis living abroad from dealing with the hassle of renewing their passports.
Only a small percentage of those who requested to have their citizenship revoked were businessmen or journalists who wanted to rid themselves of the Israeli connection in order to enter countries hostile to the Jewish State.
