IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 246 

Opposing efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel and the Global Boycott, 

Divestment, and Sanctions Movement targeting Israel. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 21, 2019 

Mr. SCHNEIDER (for himself, Mr. ZELDIN, Mr. NADLER, and Mrs. WAGNER) 

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Financial Services, Science, Space, and Technology, and the Judiciary, 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 

RESOLUTION 

Opposing efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel and the 

Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement 

targeting Israel. 

Whereas the democratic, Jewish State of Israel is a key ally 

and strategic partner of the United States; 

Whereas since Israel’s founding in 1948, Congress has repeatedly expressed our Nation’s unwavering commitment 

to the security of Israel as a Jewish and democratic 

state; 

Whereas American policy has long sought to bring peace to 

the Middle East and recognized that both the Israeli and 


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•HRES 246 IH 

Palestinian people should be able to live in safe and sovereign states, free from fear and violence, with mutual 

recognition; 

Whereas support for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians has long-standing bipartisan support in Congress; 

Whereas it is the long-standing policy of the United States 

that a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should come through direct negotiations between the 

Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, with 

the support of countries in the region and around the 

world; 

Whereas it is a hallmark of American democracy for citizens 

to petition the United States Government in favor of or 

against United States foreign policy; 

Whereas cooperation between Israel and the United States is 

of great importance, especially in the context of rising 

anti-Semitism, authoritarianism and security problems in 

Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa; 

Whereas the Global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions 

Movement (BDS Movement) targeting Israel is a campaign that does not favor a two-state solution and that 

seeks to exclude the State of Israel and the Israeli people 

from the economic, cultural, and academic life of the rest 

of the world; 

Whereas the BDS Movement targets not only the Israeli government but also Israeli academic, cultural, and civil society institutions, as well as individual Israeli citizens of all 

political persuasions, religions, and ethnicities, and in 

some cases even Jews of other nationalities who support 

Israel; 


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•HRES 246 IH 

Whereas the BDS Movement does not recognize, and many 

of its supporters explicitly deny, the right of the Jewish 

people to national self-determination; 

Whereas a founder of the BDS Movement has denied the 

right of the Jewish people in their homeland, saying, ‘‘We 

oppose a Jewish state in any part of Palestine. No Palestinian, rational Palestinian, not a sell-out Palestinian, 

will ever accept a Jewish state in Palestine.’’; 

Whereas university-based BDS efforts violate the core goals 

of the university and global cultural development, which 

thrive on free and open exchange and debate; and 

Whereas the BDS Movement promotes principles of collective 

guilt, mass punishment, and group isolation, which are 

destructive of prospects for progress towards peace and 

a two-state solution: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) opposes the Global Boycott, Divestment, 

3 and Sanctions Movement (BDS Movement) tar4 geting Israel, including efforts to target United 

5 States companies that are engaged in commercial 

6 activities that are legal under United States law, and 

7 all efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel; 

8 (2) affirms that the Global Boycott, Divest9 ment, and Sanctions Movement undermines the pos10 sibility for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Pales11 tinian conflict by demanding concessions of one 

12 party alone and encouraging the Palestinians to re13 ject negotiations in favor of international pressure; 


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•HRES 246 IH 

1 (3) urges Israelis and Palestinians to return to 

2 direct negotiations as the only way to achieve an end 

3 to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; 

4 (4) supports the full implementation of the 

5 United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 

6 2014 (Public Law 113–296; 128 Stat. 4075) and 

7 new efforts to enhance government-wide, coordinated 

8 United States-Israel scientific and technological co9 operation in civilian areas, such as with respect to 

10 energy, water, agriculture, alternative fuel tech11 nology, civilian space technology, and security, in 

12 order to counter the effects of actions to boycott, di13 vest from, or sanction Israel; and 

14 (5) reaffirms its strong support for a negotiated 

15 solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resulting 

16 in two states—a democratic Jewish State of Israel, 

17 and a viable, democratic Palestinian state—living 

18 side-by-side in peace, security, and mutual recogni19 tion. 

Æ 


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