Category: Media

  • Ed Gabriel to TIB: US-Israel Agree in Lebanon and Diverge in Gaza?

    This is Beirut released an article titled Us-Israel: Agree in Lebanon and Diverge in Gaza? where ATFL President Ed Gabriel was quoted. Read the article here.

  • NYT: A Biden Confident Emerges as a Crucial Mid East Confident

    The New York times posted an article titled A Biden Confident Emerges as a Crucial Mid East Confident where ATFL President Ed Gabriel is quoted. Read the article here.

  • Lebanon’s Military Chief Heads to US Amid Rising Israel-Hezbollah Tension

    Beatrice Farhat and Adam Lucente report, “Lebanon’s head of the military Joseph Aoun is heading to Washington next week, Al-Monitor has confirmed, amid the ongoing border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah and rising domestic tensions.” They add, “The discussions will reportedly touch on the US military and financial assistance provided to the Lebanese army.” The article includes comments from ATFL President Ed Gabriel. [Al Monitor]

  • ATFL Calls for Restraint on Lebanon’s Border

    Israel’s Use of Phosphorus Bombing in Violation of International Law 

    Washington, DC, May 30, 2024. The recent deadly attacks and counterattacks on the Lebanon-Israel border, eight months after Hamas’s October 7 attack, are reaching a new level of intensity. Lebanon continues to suffer from compounding and interlinked political, economic, and social crises and can ill-afford the devastation that would accompany war with Israel.

    We decry the recent provocations and call for restraint on all sides. We are further concerned about Israel’s continued use, in violation of international humanitarian law, of phosphorous bombs in South Lebanon that are causing potentially irreversible damage to the environment and agriculture, making these areas uninhabitable and impeding the livelihoods of its citizens. Over 90,000 of them have been forced to flee the region since the beginning of the Gaza war.

    We urge all parties to take every step possible to end hostilities, protect civilians who are at risk as the conflict expands, and find a sustainable agreement that brings long-term stability to the Israel-Lebanon border.

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  • May 16, 2024: ATFL Celebrates 2024 Annual Awards Gala Dinner, Washington, DC

    The American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), a leadership organization of Americans of Lebanese descent celebrated its annual awards dinner, where it honored individuals of Lebanese descent who have strengthened the ties between Lebanon and the United States, in addition to featuring remarks by dignitaries and policymakers.

    The Honorable Spencer Abraham, Chairman of ATFL, served as Master of Ceremonies for the dinner that honored the accomplishments of exceptional individuals working for the betterment of Lebanon and the Middle East:


    The Philip C. Habib Award for Distinguished Public Service
    The Honorable Jeanne Shaheen, United States Senator (NH)

    The Ray R. Irani Lifetime Achievement Award
    Leila Fadel, Host of NPR’s Morning Edition and Up First

    The Issam M. Fares International Leadership Award

    Elie Saab, Founder and Creative Director of the Elie Saab Group


    In a surprise announcement, the Honorable Edward M. Gabriel, President of ATFL and former US Ambassador to Morocco, was presented with the Philip C. Habib Award for Distinguished Public Service. The dinner also featured remarks by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Chargé d’Affaires of the Lebanese Embassy Waël Hachem, White House Senior Advisor Amos Hochstein, and US Congressman Darin LaHood (IL).The event was attended by a diverse audience of Lebanese Americans, US and Lebanese government representatives, and members of the think tank and diplomatic communities. In addition to honoring some remarkable Lebanese Americans, ATFL underscored the continued importance of deescalating tensions on the Lebanon-Israel border to avert a potentially catastrophic war in Lebanon, and the critical need for the country’s political leaders to elect a president and embark on much needed economic reforms.

    ATFL is committed to improving the civic, cultural, educational, and charitable ties between both countries while promoting the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and prosperity of a democratic and pluralistic Lebanon.

  • AP: Muslim leaders are ‘out of words’ as they tire of the White House outreach on the war in Gaza

    ATFL President Ed Gabriel quoted by the AP regarding the US administration’s outreach to the Lebanese American community to communicate US policy in the region. Read the article here.

  • Hochstein Addresses Lebanon-Israel Conflict During ATFL Reception

    ATFL Reception in Michigan highlighted in article by This Is Beirut. Read Here

  • Justice and Accountability in the MENA Region: The Importance of Women’s Stories

    Panel discussion on the pursuit of justice and accountability in the MENA region moderated by ATFL’s Patricia Karam.

    Listen to the panel discussion here.

  • “Washington…Hochstein in Beirut Soon and Awaiting Unification of the Positions of the ‘Quintet’”

    ATFL President Ed Gabriel quoted by TV24 in an article, “Washington…Hochstein in Beirut Soon and Awaiting Unification of the Positions of the ‘Quintet’” [Arabic]. Read the report here.

  • The U.S. is Key to Preventing an Israel-Lebanon War

    Article by ATFL President Ed Gabriel published by Middle East Institute, “The US is Key to Preventing an Israel-Lebanon War.” Read the op-Ed here.