II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 567 

Clarifying that it is United States policy to recognize Israel’s sovereignty 

over the Golan Heights. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 26, 2019 

Mr. CRUZ (for himself, Mr. COTTON, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. CRAMER, and Mr. GRAHAM) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to 

the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

Clarifying that it is United States policy to recognize Israel’s 

sovereignty over the Golan Heights. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

4 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) On September 1, 1975, President Gerald 

7 Ford provided a diplomatic assurance to Israel that 

8 ‘‘the U.S. will support the position that an overall 

9 settlement with Syria in the framework of a peace 

10 agreement must assure Israel’s security from attack 


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•S 567 IS

1 from the Golan Heights [and] it will give great 

2 weight to Israel’s position that any peace agreement 

3 with Syria must be predicated on Israel remaining 

4 on the Golan Heights’’. 

5 (2) In October 1991, Secretary of State James 

6 Baker provided a diplomatic assurance to Israel that 

7 ‘‘the United States continues to stand behind the as8 surance given by President Ford to Prime Minister 

9 Rabin on September 1, 1975’’. 

10 (3) Iran has used the war in Syria to establish 

11 a long-term military presence in the Levant, to at12 tack Israel from across the Golan Heights, and to 

13 create territorial corridors that allow it to provide 

14 arms to its troops and terrorist proxies. 

15 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

16 It is the sense of Congress that— 

17 (1) Israel’s security from attacks from Syria 

18 and Lebanon cannot be assured without Israeli sov19 ereignty over the Golan Heights; and 

20 (2) in light of new realities on the ground, in21 cluding Iran’s presence in Syria— 

22 (A) it is unrealistic to expect that the out23 come of a peace agreement between Israel and 

24 Syria will be an Israeli withdrawal from the 

25 Golan Heights; and 


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•S 567 IS

1 (B) it is realistic to expect that any peace 

2 agreement between Israel and Syria will only be 

3 achieved on the basis of Israel remaining on the 

4 Golan Heights; and 

5 (3) it is in the United States national security 

6 interest to ensure that— 

7 (A) Israel retains control of the Golan 

8 Heights; and 

9 (B) the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad 

10 faces diplomatic and geopolitical consequences 

11 for its killing of civilians, the ethnic cleansing 

12 of Arab Sunnis, and the use of weapons of 

13 mass destruction. 

14 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF UNITED STATES POLICY. 

15 It shall be the policy of the United States— 

16 (1) to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the 

17 Golan Heights; and 

18 (2) to promote and conduct joint projects with 

19 Israel on the Golan Heights, including projects— 

20 (A) in basic and applied scientific fields; 

21 (B) in industrial research and develop22 ment; and 

23 (C) in strategic and applied research of ag24 ricultural problems. 


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1 SEC. 4. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

2 Any reference to ‘‘Israel’’ in any existing or future 

3 Act of Congress relating to appropriations or foreign com4 merce, including customs and international trade, shall be 

5 interpreted to include the Golan Heights. 

Æ 


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