Lebanon29 July, 20263 min read
Lebanese Lawyers Seek Probe of Banker Antoun Sehnaoui Over Netanyahu Dinner in Washington
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Lebanese lawyers filed a complaint seeking probe into Sehnaoui over Washington dinner with Netanyahu. The dinner occurred at the Four Seasons Washington; Sehnaoui co-hosted with Morgan Ortagus; Netanyahu attended.
Netanyahu dinner sparks probe
Lebanese lawyers filed a complaint with the country’s top prosecutor on Wednesday seeking an investigation into banker Antoun Sehnaoui over a Washington dinner he allegedly co-hosted that was attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The complaint accuses Sehnaoui of "communicating with the Israeli enemy," lawyer Mohamad Amer Al Haj Hassan told reporters, and Lebanese law prohibits nationals from any transactions with Israeli citizens and institutions.
Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister attended a July 27 dinner in honor of Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a strong backer of Israel who died on July 11, without saying who organized it.
An Israeli official and a source briefed on the dinner said it was organized by Sehnaoui and Morgan Ortagus, who previously served as U.S. President Donald Trump’s deputy special envoy to the Middle East.
The dinner took place as Israel continued its military campaign in Lebanon, where more than 4,300 people have been killed since 2 March, and Israeli forces continue to occupy parts of southern Lebanon despite a ceasefire agreement.
Outrage and legal arguments
Lebanese lawmaker Halima Kaakour decried Sehnaoui’s meeting with Netanyahu as a "major moral and national crisis" while Israeli troops remain on Lebanese territory, according to The Jerusalem Post. In a post on X, Kaakour called the dinner a "major moral and national crisis" at a time when the IDF is still deployed in parts of southern Lebanon, and she said Sehnaoui’s meeting reflected heightened sensitivity in Lebanon over potential normalization of ties with Israel. The New Arab reported that Lebanese authorities were under pressure to determine whether the country’s anti-normalisation laws apply equally to one of its wealthiest and most politically connected businessmen, and it said the public prosecutor instructed security forces to investigate a photograph showing Sehnaoui seated alongside Netanyahu and his wife Sara.
The inquiry will determine whether the image is authentic and whether Sehnaoui’s meeting with the Israeli leader violated Lebanese laws prohibiting direct or indirect contact with Israeli citizens, with prosecutors deciding whether the case should be referred to the military court. The New Arab also quoted opposition MP Halima Kaakour writing that "It also reflects a profound moral and national crisis" in collaborating with those who exterminate people, occupy land, burn forests, uproot olive trees, and kill journalists and civilians.
What prosecutors could do next
The complaint filed in Beirut said Sehnaoui committed "the crimes of contacting and dealing with the Israeli enemy, violating the Israel boycott law, the crime of treason and state security crimes," and it urged the prosecutor’s office to investigate the case. Two Lebanese lawyers who filed the complaint told The Associated Press that the Sehnaoui-Netanyahu meeting came as Israel’s military is still carrying out attacks on Lebanon, and the AP reported that the judiciary is expected to investigate the case in what could lead to issuing arrest warrants. The AP said it was not immediately clear how prosecutors will deal with the case, and it noted that in the past they issued arrest warrants in similar cases for Lebanese citizens outside the country.
The New Arab said prosecutors will now decide whether the case should be referred to the military court, while the inquiry will determine whether the photograph is authentic and whether Sehnaoui’s meeting violated Lebanese laws prohibiting direct or indirect contact with Israeli citizens. In Washington, the dinner was held at the Four Seasons hotel, and the photograph first shared by Israeli journalist Barak Ravid after Monday night's dinner showed Sehnaoui and former U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus hosting Netanyahu and a guest list that included Republican Senator Ted Cruz and several senior U.S. lawmakers.