IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 402 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding politically 
motivated acts of boycott, divestment from, and sanctions against Israel, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 29, 2015 
Mr. ROYCE (for himself and Mr. ENGEL) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regard-
ing politically motivated acts of boycott, divestment from, 
and sanctions against Israel, and for other purposes. 
Whereas in 1945, the Arab League began a boycott of Jewish 
goods and services in the British controlled mandate ter-
ritory of Palestine; 
Whereas in 1948, following the war establishing Israel’s inde-
pendence, the boycott was formalized against the state of 
Israel and broadened to include non-Israelis who main-
tain economic relations with Israel or who are perceived 
to support it; 
Whereas the United States has historically been at the fore-
front of international efforts to end enforcement of the 
boycott and to seek the Arab League’s revocation of it, 
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•HRES 402 IH 
including through Congress passing laws making it illegal 
for United States companies to cooperate with the boy-
cott and authorizing the imposition of civil and criminal 
penalties against United States violators; 
Whereas the United States has also opposed the Arab League 
Boycott of Israel by ensuring through free trade agree-
ments with Bahrain and Oman that such countries no 
longer participate in the boycott; 
Whereas the United States ensured that as a condition of 
membership in the World Trade Organization that Saudi 
Arabia no longer enforces the secondary or tertiary ele-
ments of the boycott; 
Whereas in 2005, elements of Palestinian civil society issued 
a call for a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) 
campaign against Israel, coordinated by the Palestinian 
BDS National Committee (BNC); 
Whereas European companies have taken measures to re-
strict business with Israeli companies, raising the pros-
pect that they are engaging in politically motivated acts 
of boycott, divestment from, and sanctions against Israel; 
Whereas the European Union remains Israel’s largest trading 
partner, accounting for one-third of Israel’s total trade, 
and despite its small size, Israel remains one of the Euro-
pean Union’s top trading partners in the Middle East; 
Whereas Secretary of State John F. Kerry said in 2014, ‘‘I 
believe that we need to stand together with a single voice 
to reject any of the arbitrary unwarranted boycotts of 
Israel. For more than 30 years, I have staunchly, loudly, 
unapologetically opposed boycotts of Israel—and I will 
continue to oppose those boycotts of Israel. That will 
never change.’’; 
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•HRES 402 IH 
Whereas multiple United States State legislatures have en-
acted measures to confront politically motivated acts of 
boycott, divestment from, and sanctions against Israel; 
Whereas, on April 21, 2015, Tennessee became the first 
State legislature to formally condemn the BDS movement 
against Israel; 
Whereas in May 2015, Indiana passed a nonbinding resolu-
tion opposing boycotts of Israel; 
Whereas in May 2015, Illinois passed anti-BDS legislation 
that divests its pension funds from foreign companies 
that boycott Israel; 
Whereas, on June 4, 2015, South Carolina passed anti-BDS 
legislation banning public entities from contracting with 
companies engaged in certain kinds of boycotts; 
Whereas, on June 18, 2015, the New York State Assembly 
passed a resolution rejecting the BDS movement and re-
affirming its support for Israel; and 
Whereas these politically motivated acts of boycott, divest-
ment from, and sanctions against Israel represent a con-
certed effort to extract concessions from Israel outside of 
direct negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians, 
and undermines efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state 
solution: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) opposes politically motivated acts of boycott, 
divestment from, and sanctions against Israel; 
(2) calls on the Administration to increase the 
use of its voice, vote, and influence in international 
organizations and other appropriate international fo-
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•HRES 402 IH 
rums to actively oppose politically motivated acts of 
boycott, divestment from, and sanctions against 
Israel; 
(3) supports efforts by State legislatures to 
enact measures that oppose politically motivated acts 
of boycott, divestment from, and sanctions against 
Israel; and 
(4) reaffirms its strong support for a negotiated 
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resulting 
in two states, a democratic, Jewish State of Israel 
and a viable, democratic Palestinian state, living 
side-by-side in peace, security, and mutual recogni-
tion. 
Æ 
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