Lebanon's Interior Ministry will allow the release of Steven Spielberg's latest film, "The Post," overturning a ban by the General Security authority, a senior official said Wednesday.
The security body had on Monday announced it was banning the Hollywood thriller to comply with an Arab League boycott targeting supporters of Israel.
In a rare move, the Interior Ministry chose not to sign off on the decision by General Security, which in addition to controlling Lebanon's borders, is responsible for censoring films, plays, and books.
"Interior Minister Nohad Mashnouk is going to allow the film to be shown," a senior ministry official told AFP.
The company distributing the film in Lebanon confirmed that the film, starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks would be released in cinemas in Beirut and elsewhere on Thursday.
In the last three years, at least five films directed or produced by Spielberg were screened in Lebanon, including “The BFG,” and “Bridge of Spies.”
AFP reported that a second film was censored by Lebanon this week. The film, “Jungle,” starring Daniel Radcliffe, is the story of about Israeli adventurer Yossi Ghinsberg who got lost in an uncharted part of the Bolivian Amazon in 1981. The film already had been playing in theaters for two weeks when it was censored and removed. In addition to the main character in the film being Israeli, one of the film’s producers also is Israeli.
Lebanon technically is officially at war with Israel and bans Israeli products. Lebanese citizens are not allowed to travel or have contact with Israeli citizens.