Iraqi diplomat faces legal action for ‘not exiting’ during Netanyahu’s UN speech

BAGHDAD — Samar Bashir Al-Qaisi an Iraqi diplomat, faces legal action after ‘not leaving’ at the General Assembly during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech on Sept. 27, 2024, in New York.

The lawsuit, filed by Nasar Al-Rubaie, leader the Sadrist bloc before it withdrew from the political process, accuses Al-Qaisi of ‘violating’ the country’s anti-normalization laws by not exiting the assembly in protest alongside other Arab and Islamic delegations.

Al-Rubaie emphasized, “A large number of Arab and Islamic delegations walked out in protest during Netanyahu’s speech, leaving the assembly hall nearly empty, but Al-Qaisi, a member of Iraq’s delegation, did not follow suit.” He added, “Iraqi law criminalizes normalization with the Zionist entity under Law No. 1 of 2022, and it is customary for Iraqi and many other Arab and Islamic delegations to withdraw during speeches by Israeli officials.”

The legal complaint comes amid heightened tensions in the region, following weeks of Israeli military operations in Gaza and southern Lebanon. Numerous delegations protested Netanyahu’s defense of these actions, which have led to thousands of civilian deaths in Gaza and cross-border clashes with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Many diplomats staged walkouts at the speech.

Al-Rubaie accused Al-Qaisi of committing “a public insult to the Iraqi people and the Arab and Islamic nations,” stressing that her actions disregarded Iraq’s strict stance against any form of normalization with Israel, as outlined in Iraq’s 2022 legislation.

Iraq’s government, led by the Shia Coordination Framework, has firmly supported Hezbollah and Hamas in their conflicts with Israel, declaring three days of mourning following the death of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani condemned the attack, calling it a “reckless act” aimed at destabilizing the region.

Al-Rubaie’s complaint calls for Al-Qaisi and others involved to be prosecuted under the country’s anti-normalization law, which carries severe penalties, including life imprisonment or the death penalty.