Lebanon has no intention of abolishing its boycott law against Israel despite growing pressure from some U.S. lawmakers and ongoing direct negotiations between Beirut and Tel Aviv under American sponsorship, according to Lebanese sources cited by Annahar. 

The issue has gained increasing attention in both Washington and Israel following preliminary meetings between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors and the launch of expanded direct negotiations between the two countries with U.S. mediation.

But Lebanese officials say the current talks remain strictly focused on security arrangements and stabilizing the ceasefire, not on economic normalization or commercial cooperation.

An official source close to President Joseph Aoun told Annahar newspaper that there is no formal Lebanese intention to repeal the law, stressing that it is not an ordinary legal text but legislation passed by the Lebanese Parliament in line with resolutions adopted by the Arab League. The source said abolishing the boycott law remains unlikely even if future rounds of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel achieve further progress.

Lebanon’s boycott law against Israel dates back to 1955, when Beirut adopted legislation in line with the broader Arab League boycott of Israel. The law prohibits Lebanese individuals and companies from engaging in direct or indirect commercial, financial or contractual dealings with Israeli entities, bars the import of Israeli goods, and criminalizes contact deemed to constitute normalization with Israel. While some Arab states have eased or abandoned similar restrictions in recent years, Lebanon has continued to uphold the law as part of its official policy toward Israel.

According to the same sources, the maximum outcome Lebanon is prepared to pursue in negotiations with Israel would be a security agreement that formally ends the state of conflict and hostilities between the two countries, without moving toward full normalization or the creation of joint economic committees.

The presidency is instead seeking a long-term truce similar to the 1949 armistice agreement signed between Lebanon and Israel.

Sources emphasized that the boycott law does not interfere with the ongoing negotiations because Lebanon’s objective is to consolidate the ceasefire and secure a durable truce rather than establish normalized political or economic ties.

U.S. lawmakers push repeal effort

Joseph Hage, Executive Director of the American Lebanese Policy Institute PAC (ALPI PAC), said some U.S. lawmakers had asked U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa to pressure Lebanon into repealing the boycott law after consultations with the U.S. administration.

Hage told Annahar that Lebanese Americans had also raised the issue with U.S. officials, arguing that accusations of dealing or communicating with Israelis had long been used against Lebanese expatriates holding American citizenship.

He said some Lebanese Americans viewed the law as a tool used to intimidate dual nationals by threatening to ban them from entering Lebanon.

According to Hage, U.S. pressure on Lebanon is likely to continue as Washington seeks to secure broader concessions through the current negotiations, including implementation of the ceasefire, security arrangements that could eventually produce a formal security agreement, and possibly, over time, peace between the two countries.

Still, he acknowledged that such objectives would be difficult to achieve.

Hage said the administration of President Donald Trump supports the Lebanese presidency and the country’s executive authority, but believes the official steps taken so far by the Lebanese government remain insufficient.

He stressed that implementing the principle of exclusive state control over weapons remains a key issue for Washington.

At the same time, Hage said the Trump administration’s interest in Lebanon is part of a broader strategy aimed at supporting a “free and independent” Lebanese state.

However, he stressed that repealing the boycott law is not currently considered a formal condition for progress in the ongoing direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.