Tunisia could criminalize normalization with 'Israel'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies + Al Mayadeen
1 Aug 2023 20:01
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The Committee on Rights and Freedoms in Tunisia has been looking into putting forward a draft law that calls for the criminalization of any act that could be considered a step toward normalizing ties with "Israel".

New Tunisian National Assembly parliement members stand during the first session of the chamber, Wednesday Nov.13, 2019 in Tunis. (AP)

The Tunisian parliament announced, on Monday, that the Committee on Rights and Freedoms had started looking into introducing a draft law urging the criminalizing of acts of normalization with "Israel".

The committee presented "a preliminary reading regarding the importance of the draft law for the Tunisian people and its unconditional support for the just Palestinian cause."

Last year, in April of 2022, the Tunisian Workers' Party organized a sit-in in front of the municipal theater in the capital to condemn Israeli attacks in Palestine and support Palestinians, calling for the enactment of a law to criminalize normalization.

Dozens of Tunisian Workers' Party supporters participated in this solidarity stand in support of the Palestinian cause while raising Palestinian flags.

The demonstrators chanted slogans, such as "the people want to criminalize normalization", "Palestine is not for sale", "criminalizing normalization is a duty to support the Palestinian resistance", "agents of Zionism... hands off the cause", and "normalization is high treason."

The Workers' Party called for the signing of a popular petition in all regions of Tunisia to impose the enactment of a law criminalizing normalization.

Tunisia began its organized boycott of "Israel" through the Arab League after the 1948 war, while ein the implementation of the decision to boycott differed from one country to another.

The Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has always affirmed that all "rumors circulating about Tunisia's intention to normalize relations with Israel are unfounded," and said that it was not concerned with normalization with "Israel," as "its position is not affected by international changes."