Lebanese Politician Omar Harfouch Risks Jail Time In Lebanon – For Speaking At European Parliament Terror Symposium With Israeli Citizens Allegedly Also Present
*WASHINGTON, DC / ACCESSWIRE / May 2, 2023 /* Lebanese politician Omar Harfouch, leader of the Third Republic party and one of the main reformist voices in Lebanon, risks a jail term if he returns to his home country. Harfouch said that the Lebanese political authorities issued an arrest warrant against him after he spoke at a symposium on terrorism at the European Parliament, where some Israeli citizens were allegedly also present. On his social media, Harfouch stated that he could face up to 15 years in prison. He currently resides in France.
*Lebanese Laws*
Lebanese law prohibits Lebanese nationals from having any contact with Israel and Israeli citizens in any form. Lebanon-Israel relations are addressed in the 1943 Lebanese Criminal Code and the 1955 Lebanese Anti-Israeli Boycott Law.
"Crimes committed against the external security of the State" is the section of the 1943 Lebanese Criminal Code that deals with treason, espionage, and illicit links with the enemy. The penal code deals with the "enemy" in general, as the State of Israel was not yet in existence.
The Lebanese Parliament Boycott Law against Israel, passed June 23, 1955, prohibits citizens from entering into any contract with any organization or person holding Israeli nationality or located in Israel. The law also forbids the importation of goods from Israel, either directly or indirectly, as adopted by the Council of the Arab League in 1951. The penalties for breaking this law are imprisonment or hard labor for three to 10 years.
*"This Must Come To An End"*
About the arrest warrant, Harfouch said on Lebanon's OTV channel: "Three weeks ago, I participated in a symposium about the war on terror and the financing of terrorism. I was proud that I was invited to this symposium in the European Parliament. Many Lebanese saw my speech, and thanked me for being the first Lebanese with enough courage to accuse the Europeans of their part in financing terrorism... But all of a sudden, someone - I don't know who - decided there had been Israelis in the hall. It turned into an issue, and I was accused of collaborating with Israelis and the Israeli lobby, and they wanted to take me for interrogation as soon as I landed at the airport. I don't care who was in the hall - whether they were from Israel, from New Zealand, or from Australia. I want to deliver the voice of truth and justice to any place possible. I wasn't at a restaurant or a hotel. I was at the heart of the EU and was talking to members of the European Parliament."
Harfouch added that it was unreasonable and antisemitic to expect him to inquire whether each person he meets abroad is Jewish or Israeli: "Let me tell you, and I said this in interviews, I will not inquire about any person's nationality. I will not ask anyone whether he is Jewish or Israeli... This falls squarely under the [European] law forbidding antisemitism. I would be antisemitic to the point that I suspected someone because his name or the way he looks indicated that he was Jewish, and I asked him whether he was Jewish in order to find out whether he is an Israeli citizen. For that, I would be put on trial for antisemitism, in France and all over Europe, because my Lebanese country, whose passport I hold, forbids me from meeting with Israelis. We should put an end to this. There are 15 million Lebanese living all over the world, and they cannot ask every person they meet every day whether or not he is Israeli."
Now that there are many Israelis in the Gulf States, Harfouch said, the Lebanese boycott of meetings with Israelis has become exceedingly unreasonable. "See the Lebanese living in the Gulf. Today, there are Israelis in the Gulf - in the UAE, in Dubai - what should they do if their boss at work turns out to be an Israeli? Should they resign, abandon their children, and return to Lebanon? This must come to an end."
*"I Don't Want To Liberate Jerusalem, I Want To Liberate Lebanon"*
Harfouch had previously expressed his views on Lebanon-Israel relations. During an interview with Lebanon's MTV channel, he said: "The facts are that Lebanon had not recognized Israel and had considered it to be an enemy, but when the [maritime] border demarcation took place, and the line was drawn between Lebanon and Israel, Lebanon de facto recognized the State of Israel."
On the status of Jerusalem, he added: "The liberation of Jerusalem is part of Hizbullah's ideology, but I, Omar Harfouch, as a Lebanese - why would I want to liberate Jerusalem? From whom should I liberate Jerusalem? My country is Lebanon... Why am I supposed to outdo the Palestinians, and liberate their country or their capital city for them?
"The Palestinians accepted this state of affairs. They recognized Israel, signed a peace agreement with it, and divided the land. Whether [Israel] abides by the agreement or not - that is the Palestinians' problem; I want to solve Lebanon's problems...
"Lebanon is important to me. I don't care about praying in Jerusalem. If they want to pray - Lebanon is full of mosques, and they can go on pilgrimage and pray in Mecca. This ideology is foreign to us. We don't want to liberate Jerusalem. I am a Lebanese man who does not want to liberate Jerusalem. I want to liberate Lebanon from this cartel of corruption, and the sectarianism."
To view MEMRI TV clips on Harfouch, visit https://www.memri.org/tv.
To read MEMRI reports on Harfouch, visit https://www.memri.org/.
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*SOURCE:* Middle East Media Research Institute
View source version on accesswire.com:
https://www.accesswire.com/752523/Lebanese-Politician-Omar-Harfouch-Risks-Jail-Time-In-Lebanon-For-Speaking-At-European-Parliament-Terror-Symposium-With-Israeli-Citizens-Allegedly-Also-Present