The Knesset Interior Committee on Monday discussed a proposal that would prevent illegal aliens from transferring the money they earned in Israel abroad. The law would allow the illegal to take a limited sum of money out of the country only if they leave Israel permanently. Any violations of the law would subject the illegal to three months in prison, and a fine as high as NIS 14,000.

Committee chairman MK Amnon Cohen (Shas) said that the law, as proposed by the government, might seem a bit harsh. But limitations were necessary, he said, because “illegal immigration is a national danger.” The law's objective is to make Israel a less attractive destination for illegals who sneak in to work, seeking to send money back to their families in their homelands.