[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1605 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1605

To seek the establishment of and contributions to an International Fund 
         for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 19, 2009

 Mr. Crowley introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To seek the establishment of and contributions to an International Fund 
         for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited at as the ``International Fund for Israeli-
Palestinian Peace Authorization Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The persistence of decades-old violence, conflict, and 
        instability in the Middle East gravely affects the national 
        security of the United States and peace and stability 
        throughout the world.
            (2) The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian and broader Arab-
        Israeli conflicts strengthen extremists and opponents of peace 
        throughout the region.
            (3) The establishment of peace between Israelis and 
        Palestinians, Muslims, Christians, and Jews, in the Middle East 
        is in the vital interests of the United States, Israelis, 
        Palestinians, the region, and the world.
            (4) While the United States and its international allies 
        continue to support diplomatic and political negotiations 
        between the national government representatives of the parties 
        to the conflict, such efforts require broad popular support 
        among the Israeli, Palestinian, Muslim, Christian, and Jewish 
        peoples in order to succeed. Indeed, political agreements may 
        never arrive or endure without substantial public support.
            (5) Through many independent nongovernmental activities, 
        tens of thousands of Israelis and Palestinians, and Muslims, 
        Christians, and Jews, already work together to build better 
        relations between peoples, through people-to-people coexistence 
        and reconciliation activities and other cooperative efforts.
            (6) Such civil society initiatives promote contact, 
        cooperation, dialogue, shared community building, peaceful 
        coexistence, joint economic development, and reconciliation 
        between Israelis and Palestinians, and Muslims, Christians, and 
        Jews, in the Middle East and thereby constitute a key means for 
        building grassroots support for a peaceful resolution to the 
        conflict.
            (7) By working together, building positive relationships, 
        learning about each other, and interacting regularly in their 
        daily lives, participants in such activities come to recognize 
        the human face of people across conflict lines, understand that 
        people of good will seek peaceful coexistence, and support 
        efforts to marginalize extremists and build peace. The impact 
        of these programs spreads from participants to their families 
        and communities.
            (8) These tangible initiatives also provide much-needed 
        services to individuals and communities in their everyday 
        lives, helping Israelis and Palestinians, and Muslims, 
        Christians, and Jews, in the region work, learn, and play 
        together; solve shared problems; and build socially and 
        economically stronger societies. These efforts extend into 
        every sphere of everyday life, promoting cooperation in 
        business, education, healthcare, community building, sports, 
        the environment, and the arts.
            (9) While such efforts have demonstrated inspiring success 
        and touched tens of thousands of people, severely limited 
        funding has heretofore prevented them from reaching millions of 
        Israelis, Palestinians, Muslims, Christians, and Jews and thus 
        having a truly widespread impact on popular support for peace.
            (10) Majorities of Israelis and Palestinians privately 
        indicate their support for peace and a final settlement of the 
        conflict, but extensive, direct grassroots efforts are needed 
        to mobilize these silent majorities into active and vocal 
        constituents for peace.
            (11) Dramatically increased funding, coordination, and 
        support for people-to-people coexistence, reconciliation, and 
        joint economic initiatives can engage millions of ordinary 
        citizens affected by this conflict in building support for 
        peace.
            (12) Working together, the United States, nations around 
        the world, and the private sector can catalyze widespread 
        support for peace with the establishment and funding of an 
        independent International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, 
        to promote contact, cooperation, dialogue, shared community 
        building, peaceful coexistence, joint economic development, and 
        reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, and Muslims, 
        Christians and Jews, in the Middle East.
            (13) Such a Fund will be an expert coordinating body, 
        adhering to best practices for governance, transparency, and 
        accountability. It will ensure that the United States and the 
        international community stand fully behind the brave Israelis 
        and Palestinians and Muslims, Christians, and Jews willing to 
        work together for peace and a better future. It will be an 
        ongoing presence and catalyst, building broad public support 
        for a lasting peace in the region. The Fund is not intended to 
        be a political forum, but a grant-making body.
    (b) Purposes.--Therefore, the purposes of this Act are as follows:
            (1) To urge the President to make every effort, in 
        conjunction with the Government of Israel, the Palestinian 
        Authority, and the international community to establish a non-
        political International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace to 
        promote and support contact, cooperation, dialogue, shared 
        community building, peaceful coexistence, joint economic 
        development, and reconciliation between Israelis and 
        Palestinians, and Muslims, Christians, and Jews.
            (2) To provide for United States contributions to consist 
        of Economic Support Fund assistance for payment to the 
        International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace to carry out 
        the activities described in paragraph (1).

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERNATIONAL FUND.

    Congress urges the President to make every effort, in conjunction 
with the Government of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and the 
international community, to establish an International Fund for 
Israeli-Palestinian Peace (in this Act referred to as the 
``International Fund'') to carry out the purposes described in section 
2(b).

SEC. 4. UNITED STATES CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE INTERNATIONAL FUND.

    (a) Fiscal Year 2010.--Of the amounts made available for the fiscal 
year 2010 to carry out chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance 
Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2346 et seq. (relating to the Economic Support 
Fund)), $50,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated for United States 
contributions to the International Fund. Pending the formal 
establishment of the International Fund, such amounts may, pursuant to 
an agreement with the Government of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, 
or other nations be disbursed into and maintained in a separate 
account.
    (b) Fiscal Years 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014.--Of the amounts made 
available for each of the fiscal years 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 to 
carry out chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
50,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated for United States 
contributions to the International Fund.
    (c) Additional Authorities.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
authorization of appropriations under subsections (a) and (b)--
            (1) are in addition to amounts otherwise authorized to be 
        appropriated for such purposes;
            (2) are authorized to remain available until expended; and
            (3) may be provided notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law.

SEC. 5. CONDITIONS AND UNDERSTANDINGS RELATING TO UNITED STATES 
              CONTRIBUTIONS.

    (a) Promoting People-to-People Coexistence, Reconciliation, and 
Joint Economic Efforts.--The United States contributions provided for 
in this Act may be used only to support and promote the purposes 
described in section 2(b).
    (b) Additional Requirements.--The restrictions contained in section 
531(e) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2346a) apply 
with respect to United States contributions provided for in this Act.
    (c) United States Representation on the Board of the Fund.--The 
President shall make every effort to ensure that there is United States 
representation on the Board of the International Fund.

SEC. 6. ANNUAL REPORTS.

    At the end of each fiscal year in which the United States 
Government makes any contribution to the International Fund, the 
President shall transmit to the Congress a report on the degree to 
which the International Fund, and the United States contribution to it, 
have contributed to promoting contact, cooperation, dialogue, shared 
community building, peaceful coexistence, joint economic development, 
and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, and Muslims, 
Christians, and Jews, in the Middle East.
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