These columns have been supportive of President Bush in the administration’s decision to allow the British owner of contracts to operate ports in New York, New Jersey, New Orleans, Miami, Baltimore and Delaware to sell them to Dubai. Mr. Bush has been nothing if not a vigilant war-time leader. But the report in the Jerusalem Post that the Dubai port operator abides by the Arab boycott of Israel is a reminder that there are issues at play here other than security. One of them is anti-Semitism, which motivates the Arab anti-Israel boycott, and another is American law, which prohibits Americans from complying with the boycott.

Now that Mr. Bush has extended the security review period for the ports deal, there’s no excuse for failing to get public answers to questions such as — Will the Dubai-owned company allow Israeli-flagged ships or vessels with other flags carrying Israeli products to unload in American ports? In any normal circumstances, this would a ridiculous question, but given Dubai’s own policy of not even allowing Israeli citizens to enter the United Arab Emirates on Israeli passports, it strikes us as one of the paramount problems handed up by this case.

The matter underscores again the hypocrisy of those Democrats such as Senator Clinton — the UAE’s anti-Israel policies never stopped the Clinton administration from selling the country 80 F-16 fighters — who are all of a sudden lining up as enemies of the UAE. There is a report out that the Dubai company has been willing to deal with an Israel shipping company, Zim, but the question is whether it is adhering in any way with the Arab boycott. This needs to be covered in the review that is going to take place of this deal. Even foreign operators at American ports must be held to American standards when it comes to treatment of American allies such as Israel.