Iraq’s parliament has enacted a law, making normalizing relations with Israel a criminal punishable by death or life imprisonment.
The law, titled “Criminalizing Normalization and Establishment of Relations with the Zionist Entity,” was passed by 275 members in Iraq’s 329-seat parliament on Thursday.
The measure was “a true expression of the will of the people,” according to the Iraqi parliament.
Iraq’s parliament has been unable to meet on any matter other than the law forbidding links with Israel, including electing a new president and forming its own cabinet, prolonging the country’s political impasse.
Iraq has never recognized Israel, and Iraqi residents and businesses are unable to go to Israel because the two countries do not have official relations.
According to a report provided by an Iraqi news agency, the new legislation also contains risks for enterprises working in Iraq who are found to be in breach of the law, which applies to all Iraqis, state and independent institutions, as well as foreigners working in the nation.
