The veteran envoys leading Lebanon-Israel direct talks
Lebanon's Simon Karam and Israel's Yechiel Leiter, both political veterans with entrenched views, will come face to face in Washington for talks Thursday after decades in a state of war.
Lebanon and Israel have no formal ties, but U.S. President Donald Trump is hoping for a historic breakthrough even as Israeli forces remain deployed in south Lebanon to fight Iran-backed Hezbollah.
While Lebanon is seeking to consolidate a ceasefire in the latest war and to obtain the withdrawal of Israeli troops, Israel wants to ensure Hezbollah is disarmed.
Here are profiles of the envoys leading their countries' third round of negotiations:
- Karam: the quiet negotiator -
Simon Karam, a lawyer known for his decades in politics and fierce defense of Lebanon's sovereignty, was appointed by President Joseph Aoun last month for the thorny task of helming the direct talks with Israel.
Beirut insists Israel must end its attacks before starting negotiations, while Hezbollah rejects outright any direct engagement between the two countries.
A former ambassador to Washington and independent politician, 76-year-old Karam is known for his defense of Lebanese unity in a country riven by sectarian divisions.
He is also known for his support for extending state sovereignty across all of Lebanon, where Hezbollah has long kept a huge arsenal and thrown the country into war after war.
Late last year, Karam was appointed as Lebanon's civilian representative to a committee comprising Lebanon, Israel, the United States, France and U.N. peacekeepers that was tasked with monitoring a 2024 ceasefire.
Karam is known for his calm demeanor and makes few media appearances, but those who know him say he has remained uncompromising in his convictions on a sovereign, stable Lebanon.
During his participation in two previous ceasefire monitoring committee meetings, Karam "was a decisive and rational negotiator", a source familiar with the talks told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"He was particularly insistent on the demand that southern residents return to their towns, and spoke at length about the emotional ties linking villagers to their lands," the source added.
Political analyst Ali al-Amin, who has known Karam for decades, praised his upstanding character.
"He doesn't make deals under the table," Amin said, noting Karam had not sought high office despite his connections.
Karam entered public life in 1990, first being appointed governor of east Lebanon's Bekaa region and then Beirut.
He was named ambassador to Washington in 1992 but stepped down the following year, in a move observers said was linked to his diverging views from authorities who at the time were under the influence of Syria, whose occupation Karam opposed.
Karam, who is fluent in Arabic, French and English, hails from south Lebanon's Jezzine district and is married with three children.
- Leiter: the Netanyahu ally -
Israel's ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, is a longtime ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Well versed in Israeli settler politics, conservative activism and hard-edged diplomacy, Leiter, 67, took up his post as Israel's top envoy to Washington in January 2025.
Born in the United States, he emigrated to Israel at 18 and went on to build close ties with the U.S. Republican Party.
According to Israeli media reports, he served as a combat medic in the military in 1982, when Israel invaded Lebanon.
Leiter, who is also a historian and ordained rabbi, first gained prominence in the 1990s as a leading figure in the Yesha Council, the umbrella organization representing Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
During some of the most divisive years of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Leiter became a forceful advocate for the settlement movement and a prominent nationalist.
His influence later extended into government.
Leiter served as chief of staff to Netanyahu when the latter served as finance minister in the early 2000s, helping cement a longstanding political alliance.
A member of Netanyahu's Likud party, he also worked as a strategist and adviser to several right-wing Israeli think tanks.
The war in Gaza struck him personally.
In November 2023, his son, Moshe Leiter, was killed in combat in the Gaza Strip, a month after Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel.
Leiter was also an outspoken critic of President Joe Biden, before Trump returned to the White House.
In a 2024 interview with Israel's Channel Tov, he denounced what he described as "American pressure" on Israel under Biden during the war in Gaza.
After being appointed ambassador, Leiter renounced his U.S. citizenship.
In May 2025, he was called back to Israel for a disciplinary hearing after accusing Netanyahu's opponents of spreading "blood libels" against the prime minister -- breaching norms against Israeli diplomats making political statements.
Leiter has positioned himself as an advocate for a broader regional realignment, and following talks in Washington with his Lebanese counterpart in April, he praised what he called a "wonderful exchange".
Source: Agence France Presse
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