I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7060 
To establish the Palestinian Partnership Fund to promote joint economic 
development and finance joint ventures between Palestinian entrepreneurs 
and companies in the United States, Israel, countries in the Middle 
East to improve economic cooperation and people to people exchanges 
to further shared community building, peaceful coexistence, dialogue, 
and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 12, 2018 
Mr. FORTENBERRY (for himself and Mrs. LOWEY) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To establish the Palestinian Partnership Fund to promote 
joint economic development and finance joint ventures 
between Palestinian entrepreneurs and companies in the 
United States, Israel, countries in the Middle East to 
improve economic cooperation and people to people ex-
changes to further shared community building, peaceful 
coexistence, dialogue, and reconciliation between Israelis 
and Palestinians. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Palestinian Partner-
ship Fund Act of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) While the United States and its inter-
national allies continue to support diplomatic and 
political negotiations between the representatives of 
the parties to Israeli-Palestinian conflict and others, 
in the long run, such efforts require broad popular 
support among people to succeed. In order to 
achieve lasting peace in the Middle East, the people 
who live there must, over time, sustain any potential 
high-level agreements. 
(2) Through support for joint economic initia-
tives and people-to-people exchanges, millions of or-
dinary Israelis and Palestinians affected by this con-
flict can assist in building support for lasting peace. 
(3) The Palestinian technology sector is grow-
ing by approximately 10 percent annually and, as of 
2018, accounts for approximately 6 percent of the 
Palestinian gross domestic product. 
(4) In the Palestinian territories, each new job 
in the technology sector contributes an estimated 
$98,000 in value added per year, compared to 
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$16,000 of value added per year, on average, that is 
contributed by jobs in other sectors. 
(5) Palestinian entrepreneurs could greatly ben-
efit from more start-up experience and improved ac-
cess to experienced investors, professional networks, 
and foreign partners. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) building a viable Palestinian economy is 
central to the effort to preserve the possibility of a 
2-state solution; 
(2) technology-led economic development in the 
Palestinian territories will create much needed em-
ployment, stem ‘‘brain drain’’ of Palestinian talent, 
and contribute to regional stability; 
(3) cooperation between the Palestinian, United 
States, and Israeli technology sectors will benefit the 
Palestinian, American, and Israeli people and should 
be encouraged; 
(4) strengthening cooperation between the Pal-
estinian territories, the United States, and Israel in 
the areas of applied technology industry and people- 
to-people exchanges will— 
(A) increase the bonds of friendship and 
understanding between the people living in the 
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Palestinian territories and the people of the 
United States and Israel; and 
(B) advance the state of research and de-
velopment to the benefit of all parties; and 
(5) United States and international support for 
grassroots people to people efforts aimed at shared 
economic growth, reconciliation, and fostering toler-
ance can help serve as an antidote to false propa-
ganda by terrorist groups and the growing issue of 
incitement. 
SEC. 4. PALESTINIAN PARTNERSHIP FUND. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, the 
Secretary of the Treasury, and the Administrator of 
the United States Agency for International Develop-
ment, shall establish the Palestinian Partnership 
Fund (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Fund’’), 
which shall be funded with amounts appropriated 
pursuant to section 5. 
(2) CONTRIBUTIONS.—The Secretary of State, 
in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, the 
Secretary of the Treasury, and the Administrator of 
the United States Agency for International Develop-
ment shall make every effort to seek additional con-
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tributions for the Fund from Middle Eastern coun-
tries, Europe, and the rest of the international com-
munity. 
(3) GOVERNANCE.—The Majority Leader and 
the Minority Leader in the Senate, and the Speaker 
and the Minority Leader in the House of Represent-
atives, shall each appoint a representative to the 
governing entity of the Fund. The governing entity 
of the Fund should oversee, and include experts in, 
program integrity, monitoring, and evaluation and 
assessment. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Fund is to facili-
tate and finance— 
(1) joint ventures in Israel, the West Bank, and 
Gaza, including between Palestinian entrepreneurs 
and companies in the United States, Israel, coun-
tries in the Middle East to improve economic co-
operation in research and development and in the 
technology industry; and 
(2) people to people exchanges to further 
shared community building, peaceful coexistence, 
dialogue, and reconciliation between Israelis and 
Palestinians. 
(c) USES OF FUNDS.—Amounts deposited into the 
Fund may be used— 
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(1) to support joint research, economic develop-
ment, and technology industry activities of mutual 
benefit to the Palestinian territories, the United 
States, and Israel; 
(2) to promote the integration of the Pales-
tinian economy into the international business sys-
tem through private sector engagement between Pal-
estinian entrepreneurs and businesses and the pri-
vate sector in the United States, Europe, and the 
Middle East (including Israel); 
(3) to fund joint project costs involving Pales-
tinian entrepreneurs and companies in the United 
States, Israel, countries in the Middle East, and 
globally; 
(4) to generate mutually beneficial cooperation 
between the private sectors of the Palestinian, Amer-
ican, and Israeli high tech industries, including 
start-ups and established organizations; and 
(5) to support people to people exchanges, 
shared community building, peaceful coexistence, 
and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. 
(d) ELIGIBILITY.— 
(1) NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS.—National gov-
ernments are not eligible to receive a grant from the 
Fund. 
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(2) GEOGRAPHIC
DISCRIMINATION
PROHIB-
ITED.—In selecting grant recipients under this sec-
tion, the administrators of the Fund may not dis-
criminate against any community or entity in Israel, 
the West Bank, or Gaza due to its geographic loca-
tion. 
(3) LIMITATIONS.—None of the funds made 
available pursuant to this Act may be made available 
for assistance for any individual or group that the 
administrators of the Fund, in consultation with the 
heads of other relevant agencies of the United States 
Government, determines to be involved in, or advo-
cating, terrorist activity or a member of a foreign 
terrorist organization, as designated pursuant to sec-
tion 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1189). 
(4) SAVINGS PROVISION.—Assistance from the 
Fund shall be subject to all relevant laws relating to 
Federal Government assistance. 
(e) ANNUAL REPORT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—At the end of each fiscal 
year in which the United States Government makes 
any contribution to the Fund under this section, the 
Secretary of State shall submit a written report to 
Congress that describes the extent to which the 
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Fund, and United States contributions to the Fund, 
have contributed— 
(A) to promoting and supporting joint eco-
nomic development; 
(B) to integrating the Palestinian economy 
into the international business system; and 
(C) to furthering contact, cooperation, dia-
logue, and reconciliation between Israelis and 
Palestinians. 
(2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—Each reports 
required under paragraph (1) shall include— 
(A) information regarding— 
(i) contributions pledged to, contribu-
tions (including donations from the private 
sector) received by, and projects funded by 
the Fund; and 
(ii) the mechanisms established for 
transparency and accountability in the 
grant making and investment process; 
(B) a description of the Fund’s operations, 
activities, budget, receipts, and expenditures for 
the preceding 12-month period, including an 
audited report of the Fund’s finances, including 
statements of financial position, operations, and 
cash flows, in accordance with generally accept-
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ed government auditing standards prescribed by 
the Comptroller General of the United States; 
(C) insights gleaned from what improves 
the efficacy of people-to-people relationships; 
and 
(D) a description of potential strategies for 
getting to sustainability for civic institutions 
that the Fund creates or supports, including 
novel financing mechanisms. 
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 
for each of the fiscal years 2019 through 2024 for United 
States contributions to the Fund established pursuant to 
section 4, which shall remain available until expended. 
Æ 
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