US urged by Lebanese diaspora to pressure Lebanon to repeal law criminalizing ties with Israel

Lebanese Americans Tom Harb and John Hajjar, co-chairs of AMCD, argued that the 1955 law was being overextended beyond its original intent.

Washington must urge Beirut to repeal Lebanon’s 1955 Boycott Law, which criminalizes social and business ties with Israel, and ensure that Hezbollah does not regain the explosives seized from the group several weeks ago, the American Mideast Coalition for Democracy said in an open letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday.

Lebanese Americans Tom Harb and John Hajjar, AMCD co-chairs, argued that the 1955 law was being overextended beyond its original intentions and is now being used to criminalize basic conversations with Israelis and prevent religious pilgrimages to the Land of Israel, which holds religious sites for Abrahamic faiths.

AMCD calls for dialogue between Lebanon and Israel's militaries

“The law is not only impractical; it has become a tool for politicized prosecutions of those who advocate peace,” the letter stated.

“One of AMCD’s own co-chairs, Tom Harb, an American citizen born in Lebanon, was summoned to appear before the Lebanese military court, as have so many others. Americans should not face criminal charges abroad for speech that is protected at home,” it noted.

Beyond calling for contact between Israeli and Lebanese citizens to be legalized, particularly ahead of the Christmas season, the signatories said channels of communication should be established between the two countries’ militaries to prevent the loss of innocent lives due to miscalculations during military operations. They also called for diplomatic channels to be opened to advance peace.

To advance this goal, AMCD said that the US should condition financial and military assistance to Lebanon on the repeal of the 1955 law and on Beirut implementing concrete steps to facilitate military, diplomatic, and civilian communication with Israel, and impose sanctions against any Lebanese government body, institution, or individual that prosecutes or penalizes people for peaceful contact with Israelis or for visiting the holy sites.

“American taxpayers should not underwrite a government that criminalizes the pursuit of peace,” the letter said. “We respectfully urge you to continue pressing [Lebanese] President Aoun on these issues and to support these measures in Congress.”