[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 402 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 402

    Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding 
 politically motivated acts of boycott, divestment from, and sanctions 
                against Israel, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 29, 2015

     Mr. Royce (for himself and Mr. Engel) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding 
 politically motivated acts of boycott, divestment from, and sanctions 
                against Israel, and for other purposes.

Whereas in 1945, the Arab League began a boycott of Jewish goods and services in 
        the British controlled mandate territory of Palestine;
Whereas in 1948, following the war establishing Israel's independence, the 
        boycott was formalized against the state of Israel and broadened to 
        include non-Israelis who maintain economic relations with Israel or who 
        are perceived to support it;
Whereas the United States has historically been at the forefront of 
        international efforts to end enforcement of the boycott and to seek the 
        Arab League's revocation of it, including through Congress passing laws 
        making it illegal for United States companies to cooperate with the 
        boycott and authorizing the imposition of civil and criminal penalties 
        against United States violators;
Whereas the United States has also opposed the Arab League Boycott of Israel by 
        ensuring through free trade agreements with Bahrain and Oman that such 
        countries no longer participate in the boycott;
Whereas the United States ensured that as a condition of membership in the World 
        Trade Organization that Saudi Arabia no longer enforces the secondary or 
        tertiary elements of the boycott;
Whereas in 2005, elements of Palestinian civil society issued a call for a 
        Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel, 
        coordinated by the Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC);
Whereas European companies have taken measures to restrict business with Israeli 
        companies, raising the prospect that they are engaging in politically 
        motivated acts of boycott, divestment from, and sanctions against 
        Israel;
Whereas the European Union remains Israel's largest trading partner, accounting 
        for one-third of Israel's total trade, and despite its small size, 
        Israel remains one of the European Union's top trading partners in the 
        Middle East;
Whereas Secretary of State John F. Kerry said in 2014, ``I believe that we need 
        to stand together with a single voice to reject any of the arbitrary 
        unwarranted boycotts of Israel. For more than 30 years, I have 
        staunchly, loudly, unapologetically opposed boycotts of Israel--and I 
        will continue to oppose those boycotts of Israel. That will never 
        change.'';
Whereas multiple United States State legislatures have enacted measures to 
        confront politically motivated acts of boycott, divestment from, and 
        sanctions against Israel;
Whereas, on April 21, 2015, Tennessee became the first State legislature to 
        formally condemn the BDS movement against Israel;
Whereas in May 2015, Indiana passed a nonbinding resolution opposing boycotts of 
        Israel;
Whereas in May 2015, Illinois passed anti-BDS legislation that divests its 
        pension funds from foreign companies that boycott Israel;
Whereas, on June 4, 2015, South Carolina passed anti-BDS legislation banning 
        public entities from contracting with companies engaged in certain kinds 
        of boycotts;
Whereas, on June 18, 2015, the New York State Assembly passed a resolution 
        rejecting the BDS movement and reaffirming its support for Israel; and
Whereas these politically motivated acts of boycott, divestment from, and 
        sanctions against Israel represent a concerted effort to extract 
        concessions from Israel outside of direct negotiations between the 
        Israelis and Palestinians, and undermines efforts to achieve a 
        negotiated two-state solution: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) opposes politically motivated acts of boycott, 
        divestment from, and sanctions against Israel;
            (2) calls on the Administration to increase the use of its 
        voice, vote, and influence in international organizations and 
        other appropriate international forums to actively oppose 
        politically motivated acts of boycott, divestment from, and 
        sanctions against Israel;
            (3) supports efforts by State legislatures to enact 
        measures that oppose politically motivated acts of boycott, 
        divestment from, and sanctions against Israel; and
            (4) reaffirms its strong support for a negotiated solution 
        to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resulting in two states, a 
        democratic, Jewish State of Israel and a viable, democratic 
        Palestinian state, living side-by-side in peace, security, and 
        mutual recognition.
                                 <all>