The Palestinian Authority has enacted a draconian new law that punishes pro-Israel sentiments with up to two years in prison. The law, signed as an executive order by Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, says that anyone who denies the so-called “Nakba” (“Catastrophe”) of Israel’s creation in 1948 may be imprisoned.
The Times of Israel reports:
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has signed a presidential decree that criminalizes denying the Palestinian “Nakba” surrounding Israel’s establishment in 1948.
The decree states that anyone found guilty of denying the “catastrophe” inflicted upon Palestinians by Zionist forces in 1948 will face up to two years in jail.
The decree appeared to be an extension of a more hardline approach Abbas has taken in recent years as he grapples with the apparent failure of his effort to secure a sovereign Palestinian state alongside Israel on the pre-1967 lines through largely diplomatic means.
Abbas, supposedly a “moderate” (as opposed to the Islamist, and terrorist, Hamas movement), told the United Nations earlier this month that Israel was like Nazi Germany and called for it to be expelled from the body.
The Palestinian Authority is one of the word’s most repressive regimes, and the new law cements that status. It also could be a formidable obstacle to peace, as it essentially prohibits ordinary Palestinians from recognizing the legitimacy of Israel, which fought invasion from several Arab states after declaring independence in 1948.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.