The Lebanese people want “full diplomatic ties” with Israel and to enjoy the benefits of tourism and trade with their neighboring state, but are being held captive by both Hezbollah and a government unwilling to confront the Iran-backed group, President of the American Mideast Coalition for Democracy John Hajjar told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday night.
Hajjar, who visited Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa several years ago, said he grew up hearing stories from his Lebanese grandparents about Jewish holidaymakers who would visit the Lebanese mountains for rest and relaxation when his grandmother was young. He said Israel and Lebanon had much to offer each other’s citizens, arguing that the misapplication of Lebanon’s 1955 anti-boycott law had created unnecessary barriers to engagement between the neighboring countries.
The law was originally intended to prevent trade and financial dealings with Israel as part of the Arab League’s efforts to economically isolate the Jewish state, but has since been used to prevent even the most basic forms of communication, benefiting Hezbollah and Hamas, Hajjar said.
When the boycott law was first introduced, Article 7 stipulated that violations could be punished with three to 10 years of temporary hard labor, alongside financial fines, asset seizures, and product confiscation. However, Hajjar said, members of the Lebanese diaspora have since faced sentences of up to 15 years in absentia simply for expressing the view that Lebanon would benefit from pursuing peace with its neighbor.
More recently, there were efforts to have Lebanon's Ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, prosecuted over her message of support to Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, whose son was wounded in a terror attack.
The Lebanese people demand peace
“The Lebanese people demand peace. They want to grow their economy. The infrastructure in Lebanon is in shambles. Lebanon is still a beautiful place, and a lot of economic activity still goes on, but it could be so much better if there were strong ties with Israel,” Hajjar argued. “... It would be mutually beneficial for both Lebanese and Israelis if peace is established.”
Earlier this week, Hajjar and his co-chair, Tom Harb, wrote an open letter urging Washington to use its influence with Lebanon to push for the repeal of the boycott law, which would allow religious groups in Lebanon to finally visit the many holy sites in Jerusalem. They also called on the US to sanction members of the Lebanese judiciary involved in prosecuting violations of the law.
“You see it in poll after poll among the Lebanese. They're trying to break the wall of silence imposed by Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations, and by their proxies in the Lebanese government. But I believe that day is fast approaching when people will finally break free and say, ‘That's it. We're not going to tolerate these laws that forbid us from speaking with Israelis, and we want full diplomatic ties.” he continued.
Nostalgic for the years Lebanon was the “Paris of the Middle East,” Hajjar shared it had been disheartening to see a country he feels so connected with struggle to bear the weight of sectarian violence, terrorism and wars.
He argued that, given Lebanon’s own experience with Palestinian terrorism, many Lebanese could empathize with Israel following the October 7 attacks even as the war touched their own country following Hezbollah’s attacks a day after the invasion.
“I think the Lebanese diaspora in the United States understands the persecution of minorities, and they feel a natural affinity to the State of Israel and what Israelis have endured, because the Lebanese themselves have endured the same things in Lebanon for hundreds of years,” he said. “The horrible terrorist acts of October 7 were happening to the Lebanese in 1976 in Damour and Aishi, another Christian village, which was savagely attacked by the Palestinians. The same methods were used on October 7 in Israel, and I think a lot of Lebanese understand the suffering and feel a natural affinity for Israeli citizens because of what they are going through.”
Palestinian armed groups, including Fatah and other PLO-aligned factions, attacked the predominantly Christian town of Damour in January 1976, killing hundreds of people and forcing its inhabitants to flee. In October that year, Palestinian factions, including Fatah and As-Sa'iqa, attacked the southern Christian village of Aishiyeh, killing dozens of civilians and displacing its population. Palestinian refugees displaced from the Tal al-Zaatar camp were later resettled in Damour, while Aishiyeh was used as a PLO base. In total, more than 600 were killed in both attacks.
Asked how to deal with Hezbollah, particularly as AMCD advocates sanctions that critics argue could push Beirut closer to Tehran, Hajjar said Lebanon’s government needed to be refreshed if it could not end the “double game” of promising to disarm Hezbollah while turning a blind eye to it.
Hajjar calls for stronger government capable of getting rid of Hezbollah
Softer in his stance for Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Hajjar didn’t mince his words on the corruption in Beirut. He argued Nabih Beri has grown rich while pushing the boycott laws that deny opportunity to Lebanon’s struggling economy
“It's time for him to go, and if President Aoun and Prime Minister Salem can't get Hezbollah disarmed, then it's time for them to go,” he insisted.
Hajjar said that while the Lebanese people were often seen as eternally patient with a government unable to fulfill its promises, as demonstrated by the lack of justice over the Beirut port explosion and now the arms laws, that patience was waning, as was their willingness to remain “captive by Hezbollah.”
“Hezbollah has, despite its claims to the contrary, carried out wave after wave of assassinations against prominent Lebanese officials. It has infiltrated every segment of the government and civil society. It has operatives throughout the country, even in Druze and Christian areas, and the Lebanese have strong reasons to be very fearful. They also lack strong political leaders, and that is a direct result of the fact that those who have been outspoken and principled have paid with their lives,” he said, acknowledging how hard it has been for the Lebanese to push for any kind of change.
Asked about the war with Israel and the collateral damage that has wreaked havoc across multiple sects in southern Lebanon, Hajjar blamed the Lebanese government, saying that some people were too emotionally affected by the tragic losses to understand its responsibility.
“Some people have paid with their lives, unfortunately, because the Lebanese government is really a failed state. When you don't have a government that can protect its people and is strong enough to negotiate peace, the consequences can be very disastrous, and that's what has happened,” he shared. “I understand why Israel is conducting this war against Hezbollah, and I just wish the Lebanese government would realize that they have a common enemy in Hezbollah and other terrorist groups, including Palestinian groups that are still armed in the camps and Hamas, to the extent that it has any operations in Lebanon.”
“When all those terrorist organizations are defeated and held accountable, and their leaders are held accountable, either paying the ultimate price or serving long prison terms, maybe for life, then you're going to have more of this,” Hajjar concluded. “Hopefully, justice will be served, and the Lebanese government will stand up and look out for the interests of the Lebanese, not terrorists and foreigners who don't even hold Lebanese citizenship and are not patriotic Lebanese.”