BEIRUT (AFP) -— Leading Lebanese Shiite cleric Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah issued a fatwa, or religious decree, on Sunday forbidding the normalization of ties with neighboring Israel.

“The normalization of ties with the Zionist enemy in any form is prohibited by Sharia (Islamic law),” Fadlallah said in statement.
“We confirm that the fatwa against normalization applies to every Muslim.”
Washington has called on Arab governments to begin normalizing ties with Israel and on the Jewish regime to halt settlement construction in the occupied West Bank to help pave the way for a resumption of Israel-Palestinian talks broken off in December.
Several Arab governments have indicated that they would consider steps towards normalization but only if Israel agrees to a complete halt to settlement construction.
Of Israel's Arab neighbors, only Egypt and Jordan have signed peace treaties with the Jewish regime.