A prosecutor in Beirut, Lebanon has pressed charges against the International Herald Tribune, claiming the newspaper violated the nation's strict anti-propaganda laws when it published an advertisement from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) expressing support for the State of Israel.

Chief public prosecutor Joseph Maamari claims the advertisement violated laws that prohibit the publication of views aimed at "undermining national feeling" and "stirring up racism." The action against the IHT was first reported in the April 12 Internet edition of The Daily Star, an English-language Lebanese publication.

The International Herald Tribune has been distributed in Lebanon since July 2001 under an agreement with The Daily Star newspaper.

The ADL ad, which was featured in a number of newspapers in the United States and Israel, expressed solidarity with the government and people of Israel. The ad was headlined: "Israel we are with you. Now more than ever."

Under Lebanese law, foreign publications distributed in Lebanon are prohibited from publishing any items deemed as "propaganda" for Israel.

According to the Daily Star, charges may also be lodged against Jamil Mroue, the editor and chief and the publisher of The Daily Star. Mroue is IHT's legal representative in Lebanon.

In an editorial published April 6, The Daily Star said the ADL ad, "illustrated the lopsided nature of the propaganda front in the Arab-Israeli conflict." The editorial also accused the League's leaders of having "extremist tendencies."