I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1697 

To amend the Export Administration Act of 1979 to include in the prohibitions on boycotts against allies of the United States boycotts fostered 

by international governmental organizations against Israel and to direct 

the Export-Import Bank of the United States to oppose boycotts against 

Israel, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 23, 2017 

Mr. ROSKAM (for himself, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. ZELDIN, and Mr. SHERMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for 

a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Export Administration Act of 1979 to include 

in the prohibitions on boycotts against allies of the 

United States boycotts fostered by international governmental organizations against Israel and to direct the 

Export-Import Bank of the United States to oppose boycotts against Israel, and for other purposes. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Israel Anti-Boycott 

3 Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) The United Nations Human Rights Council 

7 (in this section referred to as the ‘‘UNHRC’’) has 

8 long targeted Israel with systematic, politically moti9 vated assaults on its legitimacy designed to stig10 matize and isolate Israel internationally. 

11 (2) The UNHRC maintains a permanent agen12 da item known as ‘‘Item 7’’ to ensure that Israel will 

13 be criticized at every gathering of the UNHRC. 

14 (3) At its 31st session on March 24, 2016, the 

15 UNHRC targeted Israel with a commercial boycott, 

16 calling for the establishment of a database, such as 

17 a ‘‘blacklist’’, of companies that operate, or have 

18 business relations with entities that operate, beyond 

19 Israel’s 1949 Armistice lines, including East Jeru20 salem. 

21 (4) At its 32nd session in March 2017, the 

22 UNHRC is considering a resolution pursuant to 

23 agenda item 7 to withhold assistance from and pre24 vent trade with ‘‘territories occupied since 1967’’, in25 cluding East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the 

26 Golan Heights, stating that businesses that engage 


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1 in economic activity in those areas could face could 

2 face civil or criminal legal action. 

3 (5) For a half century, Congress has combated 

4 anti-Israel boycotts and other discriminatory activity 

5 under the Export Administration Act of 1979 (as 

6 continued in effect pursuant to the International 

7 Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 

8 et seq.)), under part VI of title X of the Tax Reform 

9 Act of 1976 (Public Law 94–455; 90 Stat. 1649) 

10 (commonly referred to as the ‘‘Ribicoff Amend11 ment’’), in free trade agreements with Bahrain and 

12 Oman, and in Saudi Arabia’s accession negotiations 

13 to the World Trade Organization. 

14 (6) The recent action of the UNHRC is remi15 niscent of the Arab League Boycott, which also 

16 called for the establishment of a ‘‘blacklist’’ and pro17 moted a primary, as well as a secondary and ter18 tiary, boycott against Israel, targeting United States 

19 and other companies that trade or invest with or in 

20 Israel, designed to harm Israel, any business oper21 ating in, or doing business with, Israel, or companies 

22 that do business with companies operating in Israel. 

23 (7) Congress recently passed anti-boycott, di24 vestment, and sanctions measures in the Bipartisan 

25 Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability 


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1 Act of 2015 (19 U.S.C. 4201 et seq.) and section 

2 909 of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforce3 ment Act of 2015 (19 U.S.C. 4452), which establish, 

4 among other things— 

5 (A) the opposition of the United States to 

6 actions to boycott, divest from, or sanction 

7 Israel; 

8 (B) requirements that the United States 

9 utilize trade negotiations to combat state-led or 

10 international governmental organization-led ac11 tions to boycott, divest from, or sanction Israel; 

12 and 

13 (C) reporting requirements regarding the 

14 actions of foreign countries or international or15 ganizations that establish barriers to trade or 

16 investment for United States companies in or 

17 with Israel. 

18 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

19 Congress— 

20 (1) opposes the United Nations Human Rights 

21 Council resolution of March 24, 2016, which urges 

22 countries to pressure their own companies to divest 

23 from, or break contracts with, Israel, and calls for 

24 the creation of a ‘‘blacklist’’ of companies that either 

25 operate, or have business relations with entities that 


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1 operate, beyond Israel’s 1949 Armistice lines, includ2 ing East Jerusalem; 

3 (2) views such policies as actions to boycott, di4 vest from, or sanction Israel; and 

5 (3) in order to counter the effects of actions to 

6 boycott, divest from, or sanction Israel, encourages 

7 full implementation of the United States-Israel Stra8 tegic Partnership Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–296; 

9 128 Stat. 4075) through enhanced, governmentwide, 

10 coordinated United States-Israel scientific and tech11 nological cooperation in civilian areas such as with 

12 respect to energy, water, agriculture, alternative fuel 

13 technology, civilian space technology, and security. 

14 SEC. 4. ADDITIONAL PROHIBITIONS RELATING TO FOR15 EIGN BOYCOTTS UNDER EXPORT ADMINIS16 TRATION ACT OF 1979. 

17 (a) DECLARATION OF POLICY.—Section 3(5) of the 

18 Export Administration Act of 1979 (50 U.S.C. 4602(5)) 

19 (as continued in effect pursuant to the International 

20 Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et 

21 seq.)) is amended— 

22 (1) by amending subparagraph (A) to read as 

23 follows: 

24 ‘‘(A) to oppose— 


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1 ‘‘(i) restrictive trade practices or boy2 cotts fostered or imposed by foreign coun3 tries, or requests to impose restrictive 

4 trade practices or boycotts by foreign coun5 tries, against other countries friendly to 

6 the United States or against any United 

7 States person; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) restrictive trade practices or boy9 cotts fostered or imposed by any inter10 national governmental organization against 

11 Israel or requests to impose restrictive 

12 trade practices or boycotts by any inter13 national governmental organization against 

14 Israel;’’; and 

15 (2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘which 

16 have the effect’’ and all the follows and inserting the 

17 following: ‘‘which have the effect of furthering or 

18 supporting— 

19 ‘‘(i) restrictive trade practices or boy20 cotts fostered or imposed by any foreign 

21 country, or requests to impose restrictive 

22 trade practices or boycotts by any foreign 

23 country, against a country friendly to the 

24 United States or against any United 

25 States person; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) restrictive trade practices or boy2 cotts fostered or imposed by any inter3 national governmental organization against 

4 Israel or requests to impose restrictive 

5 trade practices or boycotts by any inter6 national governmental organization against 

7 Israel; and’’. 

8 (b) FOREIGN BOYCOTTS.—Section 8 of the Export 

9 Administration Act of 1979 (50 U.S.C. 4607) (as contin10 ued in effect pursuant to the International Emergency 

11 Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)) is amend12 ed— 

13 (1) in subsection (a)(1)— 

14 (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 

15 (A)— 

16 (i) by inserting ‘‘, or request to im17 pose any boycott by a foreign country,’’ 

18 after ‘‘a foreign country’’; 

19 (ii) by inserting ‘‘, or support any 

20 boycott fostered or imposed by any inter21 national governmental organization against 

22 Israel or request to impose any boycott by 

23 any international governmental organiza24 tion against Israel’’ after ‘‘pursuant to 

25 United States law or regulation’’; 


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1 (B) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘or 

2 international governmental organization (as the 

3 case may be)’’ after ‘‘of the boycotting coun4 try’’; and 

5 (C) in subparagraph (D)— 

6 (i) by inserting ‘‘, or requesting the 

7 furnishing of information,’’ after ‘‘Fur8 nishing information’’; and 

9 (ii) by inserting ‘‘or with the inter10 national governmental organization (as the 

11 case may be)’’ after ‘‘in the boycotting 

12 country’’; and 

13 (2) in subsection (c)— 

14 (A) by inserting ‘‘, or requests to impose 

15 restrictive trade practices or boycotts by foreign 

16 countries,’’ after ‘‘foreign countries’’; and 

17 (B) by inserting ‘‘or restrictive trade prac18 tices or boycotts fostered or imposed by any 

19 international governmental organization against 

20 Israel or requests to impose restrictive trade 

21 practices or boycotts by any international gov22 ernmental organization against Israel’’ before 

23 the period at the end. 

24 (c) VIOLATIONS OF SECTION 8(a).—Section 11 of the 

25 Export Administration Act of 1979 (50 U.S.C. 4610) (as 


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1 continued in effect pursuant to the International Emer2 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)) is 

3 amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘or (j)’’ after 

5 ‘‘subsection (b)’’; and 

6 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(j) VIOLATIONS OF SECTION 8(a).—Whoever know8 ingly violates or conspires to or attempts to violate any 

9 provision of section 8(a) or any regulation, order, or li10 cense issued thereunder shall be fined in accordance with 

11 section 206 of the International Emergency Economic 

12 Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705).’’. 

13 (d) DEFINITION OF INTERNATIONAL GOVERN14 MENTAL ORGANIZATION.—Section 16 of the Export Ad15 ministration Act of 1979 (50 U.S.C. 4618) (as continued 

16 in effect pursuant to the International Emergency Eco17 nomic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)) is amended— 

18 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (7) and (8) as 

19 paragraphs (8) and (9), respectively; and 

20 (2) by inserting after paragraph (6) the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(7) the term ‘international governmental orga23 nization’ includes the United Nations and the Euro24 pean Union;’’. 


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1 (e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

2 this section take effect on the date of the enactment of 

3 this Act and apply with respect to actions described in 

4 section 8(a) of the Export Administration Act of 1979 (as 

5 continued in effect pursuant to the International Emer6 gency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)) 

7 taken or knowingly agreed to be taken on or after such 

8 date of enactment. 

9 (f) IMPLEMENTATION.—The President shall imple10 ment the amendments made by this section by exercising 

11 the authorities of the President under the International 

12 Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et 

13 seq.). 

14 SEC. 5. POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES RELATING TO BOY15 COTT OF ISRAEL UNDER EXPORT-IMPORT 

16 BANK ACT OF 1945. 

17 Section 2(b)(1)(B) of the Export-Import Bank Act 

18 of 1945 (12 U.S.C. 635(b)(1)(B)) is amended in the sixth 

19 sentence by inserting after ‘‘child labor),’’ the following: 

20 ‘‘or opposing policies and actions that are politically moti21 vated and are intended to penalize or otherwise limit com22 mercial relations specifically with citizens or residents of 

23 Israel, entities organized under the laws of Israel, or the 

24 Government of Israel,’’. 


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1 SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—In this Act: 

3 (1) ACTIONS TO BOYCOTT, DIVEST FROM, OR

4 SANCTION ISRAEL.—The term ‘‘actions to boycott, 

5 divest from, or sanction Israel’’ has the meaning 

6 given that term in section 102(b)(20)(B) of the Bi7 partisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Ac8 countability Act of 2015 (19 U.S.C. 

9 4201(b)(20)(B)). 

10 (2) INTERNATIONAL GOVERNMENTAL ORGANI11 ZATION.—The term ‘‘international governmental or12 ganization’’ includes the United Nations and the Eu13 ropean Union. 

14 (3) POLITICALLY MOTIVATED.—The term ‘‘po15 litically motivated’’ means actions to impede or con16 strain commerce with Israel that are intended to co17 erce political action from or impose policy positions 

18 on Israel. 

19 (b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec20 tion shall be construed to alter the established policy of 

21 the United States or to establish new United States policy 

22 concerning final status issues associated with the Arab23 Israeli conflict, including border delineation, that can only 

24 be resolved through direct negotiations between the par25 ties. 

Æ 


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