An Algerian lawmaker announced in a social media post that she intends to submit a bill to parliament seeking to criminalize "the... promotion of normalization with the Zionist entity," referring to Israel, Algerian media outlets reported late last month.
In a message posted on her Facebook page, Amira Selim said that the bill aims to "prevent the promotion of normalization with the Zionist entity through mass media and social media, to the National People’s Assembly (Parliament).”
“This law is based on the positions of the Algerian state that rejects normalization with the Zionist entity, especially since normalization seriously affected the issue of Western Sahara through political bargaining, with commercial justifications and suspicious deals,” she added.
If the law is passed, an offender could be "punished by imprisonment from three to 10 years," and may have their professional accreditations rescinded as a punitive measure.
Offenders may also be subject to a fine ranging from 300,000 to one million dinars ($2,273 to $7,619).
The penalty can be extended to 15 years and the fine doubled in the event of a repeat offense," Selim notes.
The development comes as neighboring nation Morocco announced at the end of December the resumption of its diplomatic relations with the Jewish state via a US-brokered normalization deal.
Republished with permission from i24NEWS