Yemen moves to criminalize normalization with Israel

Posted on May 30, 2022 by Zara Ali

May 30 2022

Officials from the National Salvation Government say the move is in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle

Yemen’s National Salvation Government (NSG) has moved to introduce a law proposal that will criminalize all means of normalizations of ties with Israel.

According to the Al-Masirah television network, Yemeni Prime Minister Abdulaziz bin Habtoor is in the process of passing a law that will prohibit any form of contact with Israel.

Habtoor remarked: “We stand by the side of the Palestinian nation and their struggle in the face of Israeli threats to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound and the occupied al-Quds city.”

He added that the Israeli provocations at Al-Aqsa Mosque are an attempt to “illustrate their dominance” following their numerous normalization deals with other Arab states.

The news come just a week after the Iraqi parliament approved a bill criminalizing any form of normalization or dealings with Israel, with the 275 attending members of parliament unanimously voting in favor of the law.

“This law, which was unanimously voted by the voters, represents a true reflection of the will of the people, a brave national decision, and a position that is the first of its kind in the world in terms of criminalizing the relationship with the Zionist entity,” Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hakim al-Zamili, said in a statement.

Seconds after the law passed, the Iraqi parliament members stood up and chanted: “No, no to normalization! No, no to Israel! Yes, yes to Iraq!”

A week prior, on 17 May, Algerian lawmakers submitted a similar appeal to their parliament, looking to criminalize the normalization of ties with Israel, including the prohibition of travel or direct contact with Tel Aviv.

The draft contains seven articles, with the first seeking to “criminalize normalization with the Zionist entity.”

Article 2 forbids any form of governmental or public contact with Israel. Article 4 prohibits travel between the two states and prevents the entry of any Israeli passport holders to Algeria.

The document is still being revised by the first chamber of parliament alongside the Parliamentary Initiatives Office of the National People’s Assembly.