​​​​​​​‘Normalization not in Iraq’s lexicon’: PM Sudani vehemently rejects ties with Israel

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani firmly rejected any prospect of diplomatic ties with Israel, stressing that normalization has no place in Iraq’s political, legal, or moral framework.

Speaking on Wednesday during Christmas Mass at Our Lady of Salvation Syriac Catholic Church in Baghdad, Sudani said the concept itself is alien to Iraq.

“The term ‘normalization’ does not exist in the Iraqi lexicon,” he said, “because it is linked to an occupying entity that stands against land and humanity, and which all heavenly religions reject.”

Sudani’s remarks came in response to comments made earlier in the ceremony by Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, who had used the word “normalization” while addressing the prime minister.

“Mr. Prime Minister, there is talk about normalization, and I hope that the new government will ensure that normalization is in Iraq and with Iraq,” Sako said.

The term immediately sparked backlash, as “normalization” in Iraq is widely understood as referring to relations with Israel—something explicitly criminalized under Iraqi law.

Sudani moved quickly to draw a clear line.

“In Iraq, we do not need normalization; rather, we need brotherhood, love, and coexistence,” he said. “This is a moral, religious, constitutional, and legal commitment that governs our relationships.”

The prime minister stressed that Iraq’s priority lies in internal cohesion, not foreign agendas.

In 2022, the Iraqi parliament passed a law criminalizing any form of relations with the Israeli regime.

Iraq parliament illegalizes normalization of ties with Israeli regime

Iraq’s parliament passes a law making it illegal for the country to ever normalize its relations with the Israeli regime.

The legislation bans “the establishment of diplomatic, political, military, economic, and cultural relations and any other sort of relations with the invading Zionist entity.”

Penalties range from life imprisonment to, in some cases, the death penalty.

Normalization is a crime: Top Iraqi cleric

Prominent Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr reinforced that position following the cathedral event.

“Normalization is a crime, and Iraqi law prescribes punishment for it,” al-Sadr said. “Anyone who promotes it or calls for it—whoever they may be—will not escape punishment.”

“The competent official authorities must swiftly carry out their duties; there will be no place for normalization or its legitimization in Iraq,” he said.

Following the backlash, Cardinal Sako’s office issued a clarification, insisting that he did not mean political normalization with Israel.

“The normalization he referred to is not political normalization with Israel,” the statement said, noting that the cleric has “repeatedly condemned the brutal aggression against Palestine (Gaza).”

The office said Sako was instead referring to cultural and civilizational engagement within Iraq, including tourism and heritage promotion.

Trump claims Saudi Arabia will ‘join’ Israeli normalization pact without preconditions

US President Donald Trump has claimed that Saudi Arabia will normalize relations with the Israeli regime without any preconditions.

Sudani’s remarks come as the United States continues to push regional allies to join the US-brokered Abraham Accords, which formalized ties between Israel and several Arab states.

Under pressure from then-President Donald Trump, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain normalized relations with Israel in 2020, in a move condemned by Palestinians as a "stab in the back." Sudan and Morocco later followed.

Washington has since sought to expand the accords to other countries in West Asia, with Saudi Arabia a top target.  

Regional leaders have repeatedly cited overwhelming public opposition to Israel—particularly after the regime’s genocidal war on Gaza—as a major obstacle to normalization.

Critics say the accords have failed to bring stability and instead have entrenched Israeli settler colonialism and regional insecurity.

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