The Honorable Secretary of State, Marco Rubio
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20520 

Re: Lebanon must repeal 1955 law concerning Israel

October 16, 2026

Dear Secretary Rubio,

The American Mideast Coalition for Democracy (AMCD) applauds your recent conversation with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. In it you made clear that the explosives seized from Hezbollah must never be returned. AMCD fully agrees, and we urge that this be only the first step. Hezbollah must be fully disarmed and dismantled, and the Lebanese state must hold sole authority over weapons on its territory.

According to reports, you also called for repeal of Lebanon’s 1955 Boycott Law and “emphasized that the law is impractical and urged direct military-to-military communication between Lebanese and Israeli forces for deconfliction.”

AMCD wholeheartedly concurs, and we believe the principle extends further. Without direct communication between Lebanon’s armed forces and their Israeli counterparts, the risk of miscalculation on either side rises sharply. Innocent people have already paid for it with their lives. Peace also cannot be negotiated by diplomats and negotiators who are legally barred from speaking to one another, nor sustained between peoples who are forbidden to meet.

The 1955 Boycott Law was enacted as an economic measure — a ban on trade and commercial dealings with Israel. Over the decades, and under changing political circumstances, Lebanese authorities have stretched it far beyond that purpose. It is now applied arbitrarily to criminalize almost any contact between Lebanese and Israelis, whether a conversation, a meeting, or a shared conference. It has also been used to prosecute Lebanese Christians and Muslims for visiting the holy sites of the Holy Land, a pilgrimage open to the faithful of nearly every other nation. Prosecuting a believer for praying at the holy places of their own faith is unfounded. It has nothing to do with trade, and nothing to do with Lebanon’s security.

The law is not only impractical; it has become a tool for politicized prosecutions of those who advocate peace. 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. The law is being used to silence Lebanese and Lebanese Americans who seek peace and normal relations with Israel. Americans should not face criminal charges abroad for speech that is protected at home.

AMCD calls on President Aoun to repeal the 1955 Boycott Law without delay. He should also permit and encourage open communication with Israel at every level:

• directly between military officials, to prevent further loss of innocent life;
• between negotiators and diplomats, to advance a lasting peace;
• between ordinary citizens of both countries, who should be free to talk, meet and visit without fear of prosecution by the Lebanese government. As a first step, Lebanon should open a pilot program for pilgrims, with designated crossing points, in time for Christmas 2026, so that Lebanese Christians and Muslims can visit the holy sites of the Holy Land and return home without being prosecuted.

To give that call weight, AMCD urges the Administration to work with Congress on two measures:

1. Conditioning U.S. assistance. Any U.S. financial or military assistance to the Government of Lebanon should be conditioned on two things. The first is repeal of the 1955 Boycott Law. The second is concrete steps to permit and facilitate communication between Lebanese and Israelis at every level: military to military, among negotiators and diplomats, and between private citizens. This includes the freedom of Lebanese to visit the holy sites without prosecution.
2. Accountability for enforcement. Absent repeal, the United States should impose targeted sanctions on any Lebanese government body, institution or individual that prosecutes, detains or otherwise penalizes people for peaceful contact with Israelis or for pilgrimage to the holy sites, and above all when the person is a U.S. citizen.

American taxpayers should not underwrite a government that criminalizes the pursuit of peace. We respectfully urge you to continue pressing President Aoun on these issues and to support these measures in Congress.

Sincerely,

Tom Harb and John Hajjar
Co-chairs for The American Mideast Coalition for Democracy

CC: Senator Ted Cruz
          Senator Marsha Blackburn
          Senator Roger Wicker
          Senator Dave McCormick
          Congressman Darrell Issa
          Congressman Brian Mast
          Congressman Randy Fine
          Congressman Darin LaHood
          Congressman Greg Steube