A proposed German state law would criminalize denying Israel’s right to exist, making it punishable by up to five years in prison, according to a report on Sunday.

The bill in the German state of Hesse specifically targets the popular Palestinian slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” chanted across the globe at anti-Israel protests, along with the removal of Israel from maps,
The Telegraph reported.

The move comes amid an 83% increase in antisemitism in Germany since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.

Initiators of the bill denied that it was about “forbidding criticism of Israel,” arguing that it was rather about “closing the gap in criminal law.”

“Those who deny Israel’s right to exist are attacking Jewish life. Those who attack Jewish life are attacking our free and democratic order,” state leader Boris Rhein told The Telegraph.

“Thank you, Germany, for doing the right thing,” the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on X on Monday.

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