Iraqis head to the polls Nov. 11 to elect 329 parliament members for a four-year term, marking the seventh free election since Saddam Hussein’s 2003 fall. Candidates are treading carefully, pledging neutrality in the geopolitical tug-of-war between the United States and Iran while using accusations of “normalization with Israel” as a weapon to discredit rivals.

The specter of Israel looms large in Iraq’s electoral rhetoric, despite the country’s lack of formal ties with the state.

“There are Shiite and Sunni leaders who have given assurances for free normalization with Israel,” said lawmaker Ibrahim al-Sumaidaie , a member of Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani’s Reconstruction and Development bloc. “There are political figures who have started to flirt and provide assurances to Washin

See Full Page