U.S. ambassador to Lebanon calls for repeal of Israel boycott law, Al Jadeed reports

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa called for Lebanon to repeal its law boycotting and criminalizing dealings with Israel during a meeting with members of Congress in Washington, Al Jadeed reported Wednesday.

According to the report, Issa made the remarks after a lawmaker raised the controversy surrounding contacts between Lebanon's ambassador in Washington and her Israeli counterpart, which had triggered criticism inside Lebanon.

The issue has surfaced repeatedly in recent months as U.S.-backed discussions have explored deeper Lebanese-Israeli contacts and possible changes to the legal framework governing dealings between the two countries.

Al Jadeed previously reported that dropping Lebanon's law criminalizing dealings with Israel was among demands being raised in U.S. and Israeli diplomatic discussions.

Lebanon and Israel remain formally in a state of war, and Lebanese law prohibits many forms of contact and commercial dealings with Israel.