Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Defunding Israel’s Enemies Act”.
Defunding Israel’s Enemies Act
A BILL
To prohibit any United States assistance from being made available for programs, projects, or activities located in Palestinian-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria or Gaza, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that—
the brutal assault by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups against the State of Israel, beginning on October 7, 2023, constitutes a decades-long continuation of efforts to irreparably undermine the sovereignty of the State of Israel;
the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (referred to as the “IRGC”), a paramilitary militant organization designated as a foreign terrorist organization on April 15, 2019, has been cited by Hamas as actively engaging in planning for the land, sea, and air invasions of the State of Israel, and as of October 15, 2023, at least 30 United States citizens are dead and at least 13 are missing as a result of these attacks;
on September 11, 2023, the Biden administration chose to facilitate the transfer of $6,000,000,000 in funds to Tehran as part of a prisoner exchange, allowing the Iranian regime to potentially repurpose other funds for IRGC-supported terrorist activities;
on September 28, 2023, in contradiction of United States and Israeli security interests, 81 Members of Congress voted against an amendment to prohibit the use of funds to delist the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization;
as Israelis work to defend their nation against an unprovoked and evil assault, it is essential to United States and Israeli security interests that United States-elected officials demonstrate unmitigated unity in support for Israel. To this end, the Biden administration should—
fully apply and preferably expand the funding limitation in the Taylor Force Act (22 U.S.C. 2378c–1) to ensure that United States taxpayer dollars are not working against Israel’s heroic efforts; and
in tandem with partners overseas, ensure that the terrorist organizations waging war against Israel are regularly denied financing;
until such time as Israel’s enemies are fully defeated, no ally or partner of the United States should, either directly or indirectly, provide support for Hezbollah, the Palestinian Authority, the Palestine Liberation Organization, and any successor or affiliated organizations, to include Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Lions’ Den;
as President George W. Bush remarked before a joint session of Congress in September 2001, “Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime.”;
several nations, including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey, Tunisia, Oman, and Kuwait have issued statements of condemnation against Israel. Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement that implicated Israel as “solely responsible for the ongoing escalation”. In that statement, the Qataris specifically stressed their “unwavering stance on the justice of the Palestinian cause” and for the “international community to compel Israel to cease its blatant violation of international law”;
nations that have historically benefitted from robust United States support should exercise extreme caution in undermining the United States greatest ally in the Middle East;
Israel has regularly and repeatedly offered the Palestinians their own state and the ability to live side-by-side in peace with their neighbors;
the Palestinian people have largely responded to such overtures by attacking Israel’s right to exist; and
if Palestinian terrorists refuse to accept Israel’s right to exist, and instead continue to resort to the senseless murder of countless Israeli civilians, the only tenable solution is a one-state solution with Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel.
Sec. 3 Prohibition of assistance to the Judea and Samaria area and Gaza
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no Federal funds may be made available for any program, project, or activity located in any Palestinian-controlled area of Judea and Samaria or Gaza until the President of the United States, acting through the Secretary of State, certifies in writing to the appropriate congressional committees that those responsible for the October 2023 attack against the State of Israel (including Hamas and Hezbollah) have agreed to a permanent cessation of hostilities.