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From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
US says Lebanese law outlawing contact with Israelis is ‘counterproductive’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
The US State Department calls a Lebanese law outlawing contact with Israeli nationals “counterproductive.”
Asked to comment on a report that Washington is urging Beirut to scrap the law ahead of the second round of ambassador-level talks with Israel on Thursday, a State Department official says, “We do not comment on private diplomatic discussions.”
“We regard all such anti-normalization laws as outdated and counterproductive,” the official clarifies.
“The Lebanese government has made bold steps to making peace and we encourage them to continue,” the official says, avoiding an outright denial of the report.
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