US asks Lebanon to repeal ban on ties with Israel — Israeli daily

The Hebrew daily Maariv reported on Monday evening that the United States has asked Lebanon to repeal a law banning relations with Israel.

Sources told Asharq that Washington will formally request that the Lebanese side scrap the “Israel boycott” law, as direct talks between the two sides continue under US mediation.

The first article of the law, issued in 1955, states that “every natural or legal person is prohibited, directly or indirectly, from entering into an agreement with bodies or individuals residing in Israel, affiliated with it by nationality, or acting on its behalf or in its interest, when the subject of the agreement involves commercial transactions, financial operations, or any other type of dealings, regardless of their nature.”

The law also provides that domestic and foreign companies or institutions with factories, assembly branches, or general agencies in Israel are classified as prohibited entities, pursuant to decisions issued by the Council of Ministers and published in the Official Gazette.

Attention is now turning to Washington this week, where a second round of Lebanese-Israeli talks under US sponsorship is scheduled for Thursday, following a first round held on 14^th  April between the two countries’ ambassadors in the US capital.

Amid growing debate in Lebanon over direct talks with Israel, discussion has resurfaced over the country’s law governing contact with Israel.

In this context, the Lebanese news site Janoubia said the renewed focus on the law is directly linked to the ongoing negotiation track. The US State Department has confirmed that the second round will take place on Thursday in Washington, following the first direct contact between Lebanon and Israel in decades.