The Israeli ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, the chief of staff of the State Department, Daniel Holler, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, and the Lebanese ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, attend a meeting between the Israeli and Lebanese delegations organized by the United States at the State Department in Washington, on June 3, 2026. (Credit: Oliver Contreras/AFP)
Pressure on Lebanon to repeal its Israel boycott law is mounting. In an open letter sent on Oct. 16 to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the American Mideast Coalition for Democracy (AMCD) — a lobby close to Republican circles that supports normalization between Lebanon and Israel and is co-chaired by Lebanese Americans Tom Harb and John Hajjar, both supporters of Donald Trump — called on Washington to pressure Beirut to repeal the 1955 Israel boycott law. The organization also proposed a pilot program “by Christmas 2026” to allow Lebanese pilgrims to visit Jerusalem and other holy sites without risking prosecution upon their return.AMCD called on the Lebanese head of state to “repeal without delay” the 1955 Israel boycott law, which, alongside several other provisions in the Penal Code and Military Justice Code, reflects Lebanon’s...
Pressure on Lebanon to repeal its Israel boycott law is mounting. In an open letter sent on Oct. 16 to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the American Mideast Coalition for Democracy (AMCD) — a lobby close to Republican circles that supports normalization between Lebanon and Israel and is co-chaired by Lebanese Americans Tom Harb and John Hajjar, both supporters of Donald Trump — called on Washington to pressure Beirut to repeal the 1955 Israel boycott law. The organization also proposed a pilot program “by Christmas 2026” to allow Lebanese pilgrims to visit Jerusalem and other holy sites without risking prosecution upon their return.AMCD called on the Lebanese head of state to “repeal without delay” the 1955 Israel boycott law, which, alongside several other provisions in the Penal Code and Military Justice Code, reflects...
7 p.m. recap: Aoun rejects leniency toward Hezbollah, Qatar eyes 2 power plants in Lebanon, Gantz bows out