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New law cuts contact for families split between Israel, Iran

Prearranged contact with Israelis has become a criminal offense in Iran in a harsh blow to remaining Jews in the country and tens of thousands of Iranian-Israelis, populations already traumatized by loss and disconnection.
This handout picture provided by the Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency (ICANA) on January 7, 2020 shows Iranian lawmakers raising their hands to vote during a parliamentary session in Tehran. - Iran's parliament passed a bill designating all US forces "terrorists" over the killing of a top Iranian military commander in a US strike last week. Under the newly adopted bill, all US forces and employees of the Pentagon and affiliated organisations, agents and commanders and those who ordered the "martyrd

Iran’s parliament has passed a law criminalizing any prearranged contact with Israelis. The punishment, depending on the background of the defendant and the prerogative of the judge, could include anywhere from six months to two years in prison, 31 to 74 lashes or 20-80 million tomans (about $1,200-$4,800) in fines. There are also other less severe forms of punishment at the judge's disposal that include depriving the guilty party of benefits such as housing, state pensions and state education for a period of six months to five years.

With the passing of this law, tens of thousands of Iranian-Israelis have lost their last remaining connections to Iran, the land of their birth and the land of their ancestors for the last 2,500 years.

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