Short title

This Act may be cited at as the

International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace Authorization Act of 2009

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).

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).

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.

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.

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.