ALPI PAC Stands with Ambassador Nada Moawad and Calls for Judicial Reform and Renewed Efforts Toward Lebanon–Israel Peace
WASHINGTON, D.C. The American Lebanese Policy Institute – Political Action Committee (ALPI PAC) stands firmly with Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad, Lebanon’s Ambassador to the United States, and condemns the referral of a complaint concerning her reported diplomatic communication with Israel’s ambassador to Lebanon’s military judicial authorities.
Ambassador Moawad serves as part of Lebanon’s delegation in U.S.-mediated negotiations with Israel. Her diplomatic responsibilities are carried out on behalf of the Lebanese government. No diplomat should face the threat of military prosecution for participating in authorized negotiations intended to protect Lebanon’s national interests.
Although the referral of the complaint does not constitute a formal criminal charge, ALPI PAC considers the involvement of the military judiciary in this matter deeply troubling. Lebanon’s diplomats must be able to perform their duties without fear that legitimate diplomatic engagement will become the subject of criminal proceedings.
ALPI PAC calls on the competent Lebanese authorities to dismiss the complaint against Ambassador Moawad and reaffirm her authority to represent Lebanon without intimidation or interference.
This incident also highlights the urgent need to reform Lebanon’s military justice system. ALPI PAC calls upon the Lebanese Parliament to end the prosecution and trial of civilians before military courts and ensure that civilian cases are heard by independent civilian judges with full due process protections.
Equally important, Lebanon must reconsider laws that restrict peaceful communication between Lebanese and Israeli individuals. ALPI PAC calls for the repeal or amendment of the relevant provisions of the Lebanese Penal Code, including Articles 278 and 285, and the 1955 Law on the Boycott of Israel, insofar as they criminalize peaceful civilian contact or legitimate diplomatic engagement. Such reform should protect ordinary communication, humanitarian exchanges, and dialogue while maintaining appropriate prohibitions against espionage, unlawful intelligence cooperation, and genuine threats to national security.
Lebanon cannot pursue lasting stability while peaceful dialogue remains vulnerable to criminal sanction. Nor can it exercise an independent foreign policy while armed non-state actors, particularly Hezbollah, continue to challenge the authority of its constitutional institutions. Decisions concerning diplomacy, national security, war, and peace must belong exclusively to the Lebanese state.
ALPI PAC welcomes the concerns expressed by the United States Department of State regarding the complaint against Ambassador Moawad. We urge the U.S. Administration and Congress to intensify diplomatic efforts and apply sustained diplomatic pressure in support of a comprehensive, negotiated peace agreement between Lebanon and Israel, one that respects Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, addresses the security concerns of both countries, and provides a foundation for lasting regional stability.
Peace will require difficult decisions, responsible leadership, and the freedom to engage in meaningful negotiations. Lebanon’s laws and institutions should facilitate those efforts, not stand in their way.
ALPI PAC calls for the dismissal of the complaint against Ambassador Moawad, an end to military trials of civilians, legal protections for peaceful Lebanese–Israeli communication, and renewed American leadership toward a lasting peace.
The Lebanese people deserve a sovereign state whose institutions uphold the rule of law, protect individual liberties, and have the authority to pursue peace in their national interest.
American Lebanese Policy Institute – Political Action Committee (ALPI PAC)
Washington, D.C. | www.alpipac.org
The American Lebanese Policy Institute Political Action Committee (ALPI PAC) is a Washington, D.C.-based federal political action committee dedicated to strengthening U.S.–Lebanon relations, promoting informed public policy, supporting democratic institutions, encouraging constructive dialogue, and fostering engagement between the Lebanese-American community and policymakers in the United States.
Paid for by the American Lebanese Policy Institute PAC (ALPI PAC), www.alpipac.org. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
