The Iranian government has sent a bill to parliament that would hold liable any firm that directly or indirectly aids or abets Israel.

The bill, finalized by the Ahmadinejad administration on Sunday, will impose sanctions on any foreign firms dealing with Israel or monetarily supporting Israeli interests.

The decision came after Israel launched a seventeen-day onslaught on the Gaza Strip that has so far killed 905 Palestinians -- many of whom are women and children -- and wounded 4080 others.

The companies will face punitive measures or sanctions if the Iranian parliament passes the bill. The details of the bill have not yet been released.

Last week, Iran ordered a halt in the distribution of products belonging to firms suspected of having links with Israel.

Iran's Minister of Industry and Mines, Ali-Akbar Mehrabian, has touched on the issue, saying that the suspension in distribution would continue until a final evaluation can be made concerning the status of the firms' shareholders. He did not reveal the name of any individual firm.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has also urged the international community to impose sanctions on Israel, labeling its assaults on the Gaza Strip as "immoral". Badawi said Thursday that he believed it was the "moral duty'' of world leaders to help the Palestinian people.

Arab officials in Qatar and Jordan have also issued sharp condemnation of Israeli crimes, raising the prospect that they too may cut relations with or boycott goods from Israel.

DB/JG/AA