Sadr criticizes Iraqi President Salih for not signing anti-normalization law
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Sadrist Movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr strongly criticized Iraqi President Barham Salih on Tuesday for not signing the new anti-normalization law passed by the country's parliament.
"It is very shameful that the so-called President of the Republic of Iraq refused to sign the law," Sadr tweeted on Tuesday. "It is shameful for the people that their president is a supporter of normalization and is not patriotic but rather subservient to the West or the East."
"I am innocent of this crime before God and the Iraqi people," he added. "I regret his candidacy for the presidency before and after."
— مقتدى السيد محمد الصدر (@Mu_AlSadr) June 28, 2022
In late May, Iraqi lawmakers passed a bill that criminalizes any normalization of ties with Israel.
Following two readings of the bill by the members of parliament, the proposed law was unanimously approved by 275 lawmakers out of the parliament's 329 members.
Read More: Iraq passes bill criminalizing normalization with Israel
The law mandates the punishment of any person or entity seeking to normalize or establish ties with Israel, according to a copy of the legislation seen by Kurdistan 24.
In a tweet he shared following parliament's vote on the law, Sadr, who pushed for the legislation, called on Iraqis to publicly celebrate the bill's passing.
Read More: Sadr to promote proposal criminalizing normalization with Israel
Since the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the fall of 2020, Sadr has repeatedly warned against establishing ties with Israel.