JERUSALEM, April 19 (JTA) — The Knesset has passed a law making it easier to extradite Israeli citizens charged with committing crimes abroad. Those who hold Israeli citizenship but are not residents of the country will be extradited, while residents will be tried in the Jewish state. The law was spurred by, but is not expected to affect the case of, Samuel Sheinbein, a Maryland teen-ager accused of murder who fought extradition to the United States by claiming Israeli citizenship through his father. Meeting in special session Monday, the Knesset approved the amendment to Israel’s extradition law, which prohibited the extradition of all Israeli citizens to stand trial in another country — creating a situation that critics said contravened extradition agreements with other countries and turned Israel into a haven for criminals seeking shelter from the law. Israel’s attorney general, Elyakim Rubinstein, was among the previous law’s critics, saying few countries would be willing to invest the financial resources needed to transfer an investigation and criminal case to an Israeli court. The Sheinbein case has been a source of tension between Israel and the United States, which sought his extradition. After a protracted legal process, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled last month against hearing an appeal of its earlier decision not to allow Sheinbein’s extradition. Sheinbein’s trial for premeditated murder is due to begin here May 16.
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