Iraqi parliament has passed a bill, named ‘Banning Normalisation and Establishment of Relations with the Zionist Entity’ on Thursday to ban normalization of ties with Israel and any relation with “Israeli occupation.” The state news agency INA reported that the bill was passed by unanimous vote during an ordinary session of parliament.
The law prohibits “contact and communication of any kind and means with the occupying Zionist entity, its nationals, and representatives, whether individuals or institutions or organisations, for any reason”.
It also prohibits “financial or moral assistance” to Israel or Israeli organisations, And “promotion of any ideas, ideologies, principles, or Israeli or Zionist conduct, in any form”.
The law has clauses for execution or lifelong imprisonment, in case of conviction.
Initial media reports in Jewish News suggests that the law covers Iraqi citizens in foreign land and foreign citizens in Iraq, and Iraqi visiting Israel embassies and Israel linked groups or organizations in any foreign country, and it also includes the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan.
The law was proposed by Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and his political bloc won majority seats in parliament during 2021 elections. He is a strong opposer of any foreign meddling in domestic politics and US-Iraq and Israel-Iraq relations.
“Approving the law is not only a victory for the Iraqi people but to the heroes in Palestine and Hezbollah in Lebanon,” said Iraqi Shiite lawmaker Hassan Salim.
It is not the first time in Iraq’s politics, in Saddam Hussein reign a similar law was come under the name of Batheist-Era penal code which had provisions of execution for “promoting, or associating with, Zionist principles and organisations.”
However, when Israel was established in 1948, Israel has not been recognized by Iraq ever since. Iraqi citizens and companies cannot yet do business with Israel, and the new law now criminalizes any endeavour to normalize relations with Israel.
