Lebanese Banker Faces Legal Action for Meeting with Israeli PM

A group of Lebanese lawyers filed a complaint in Beirut against a prominent banker, claiming he violated national laws by meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington. Lebanon and Israel are technically at war, and the Lebanese law prohibits citizens from interacting with Israelis, risking imprisonment for violators.

Axios reporter Barak Ravid shared a photo on social media of banker Antoun Sehnaoui having dinner with Netanyahu and his wife. The dinner was said to honor the late U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, organized by Sehnaoui and former U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus. A Sehnaoui-affiliated website, This is Beirut, reported details of the gathering.

The lawyers accuse Sehnaoui of crimes associated with contacting the ‘enemy,’ violating a boycott law against Israel, and committing treason. Lawyer Hassan Bazzi said Sehnaoui’s actions disregarded national sentiments. Another lawyer, Mohammed Hajj Hassan, described the meeting as a ‘public offense’ requiring judicial investigation, possibly leading to arrest warrants.

The response from Sehnaoui’s legal representation in Beirut is pending, and it’s uncertain how prosecutors will handle the case. Lebanon has issued arrest warrants for similar cases of citizens meeting Israelis abroad. A government official declined to comment.

Sehnaoui, mainly based in the U.S. in recent years, has business interests in banking, media, and film both domestically and internationally. Following Lebanon’s 2019 economic collapse, Sehnaoui, like other top bankers, faced criticism. The 2019 crisis was labeled by the World Bank as one of the worst since the 1850s. Meanwhile, some Lebanese citizens call for repealing the 1955 law against interaction with Israelis.