The discovery that the Dubai firm at the center of the controversy about American ports security actively operates an embargo against Israeli goods in the United Arab Emirates reinforced objections from critics of the deal and elicited comments by Senator John Kerry.

Mr. Kerry was responding to a report that appeared in yesterday’s Jerusalem Post saying that the Dubai government owned holding company imposes its embargo on goods to and from Israel through its subsidiary Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation which operates the Dubai Customs Department.

Dubai Ports World is the Emirates government company which, through its purchase of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, has been approved by the Bush administration to run facilities at six American ports including New York, Miami, Philadelphia, Newark, New Orleans and Baltimore.

Asked by a Jerusalem Post reporter about Dubai’s attitude to the embargo, Muhammad Rashid a-Din, a staff member of the Dubai Customs Department’s Office for the Boycott of Israel, said, “Yes, of course the boycott is still in place and is still enforced.”

“If a product contained even some components that were made in Israel, and you wanted to import it to Dubai, it would be a problem,” he said.

The news that the Dubai government readily obeys the Arab League’s embargo on Israel invoked a barrage of criticism from American lawmakers yesterday.

Mr. Kerry released the following statement yesterday. “The administration’s mismanaged and misguided debacle of a ports deal has just gotten even worse. Not only did they skip the required national security investigation, now we learn that the parent company of Dubai Ports World actively participates in the Arab boycott of Israel.

“This boycott not only violates at least the spirit of U.S. law, it is inconsistent with everything we believe in as Americans. We should not be rewarding companies that support discrimination against our key strategic ally and the Middle East’s only democracy.”

Mr. Kerry’s sentiments were shared by other congressmen who have criticized the proposed port deal.

“You’ve got to frown your brow at it,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks, A Democrat whose District includes Queens. “I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Kerry. The proper type of investigation should have covered these issues. We would not trade with certain countries that will not trade with Israel. We don’t need to be having with relationships with countries that view our allies as enemies.”

But Rep. Clay Shaw, a Republican from Florida who serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, cautioned that the ports deal and free trade were two separate issues.

“This doesn’t have any effect on the ports deal,” Mr. Shaw said. “But it does have a tremendous effect on the free trade agreement that the U.S. is trying to mash out with the U.A.E. It’s important that they give up their embargo with any of our friends but particularly with Israel. It seems to be a culture over there to beat up on Israel.”

But Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, whose district includes the port of Baltimore, said Dubai’s embargo policy “adds to the argument of why a foreign company should not be in control of an operation impacts our national security.”

“Is it worth the gamble that a foreign country that has some history with Al Qaeda and has taken this position [with regard to the Israel embargo] to be in control of an operation that impacts on national security.”

“The Dubai ports deal should be taken off the table.” Said Eliot Engel, a Democrat from the Bronx, in an e-mail statement. “I say if it smells like a dead fish then it is a dead fish. This is a government that supports the embargo of Israel. We should not be putting our port security in their hands.”

The embargo on Israel may be losing traction among some Middle Eastern countries. Congress last year used its free trade agreement talks to persuade Bahrain into giving up its embargo against Israel. A Congressional subcommittee is trying to reach a similar agreement with the United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is the capital, the boycott against Israel has come up as an obstacle.

The policy of Dubai towards trade with Israel runs counter to current American trade laws which forbid American companies from participating in the Arab League embargo, which is monitored by an office in Washington.