Title: Defend Israel Act
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Defend Israel Act
This bill authorizes the President, acting through the Department of Defense and the Department of State, to provide assistance, upon request of the Israeli government, for the development, maintenance, enhancement, sustainment, and procurement of anti-missile defense systems.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2062 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2062

To authorize assistance, upon request of the Government of Israel, for 
    the development, maintenance, enhancement, and sustainment, and 
              procurement of anti-missile defense systems.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 6, 2017

Ms. Rosen (for herself and Mr. Lamborn) introduced the following bill; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize assistance, upon request of the Government of Israel, for 
    the development, maintenance, enhancement, and sustainment, and 
              procurement of anti-missile defense systems.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Defend Israel Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Jewish State of Israel, as a close and 
        indispensable ally of the United States, with whom the United 
        States enjoys mutually beneficial military, intelligence, 
        homeland security, scientific, technological, and other 
        cooperation, deserves all necessary assistance to defend itself 
        and its citizens from the many threats that it continues to 
        face.
            (2) The State of Israel has been under grave threat and 
        frequent attack from missiles, rockets, and mortar shells fired 
        at Israeli civilian targets by militants from the foreign 
        terrorist organization Hamas on its southern border and by the 
        foreign terrorist organization Hezbollah on its northern 
        border, which have killed, wounded, or inflicted psychological 
        trauma on countless Israelis.
            (3) On February 27, 2017, Hamas launched several high-
        trajectory rocket attacks on the Western Negev. This followed 
        numerous rocket launches over the last two-and-a-half years 
        since Operation Protective Edge.
            (4) Experts estimate that Hamas has thousands of rockets in 
        its arsenal.
            (5) Hezbollah has a missile arsenal of 120,000 to 150,000 
        short- and medium-range rockets, along with approximately 
        20,000 active duty forces, many of whom gained combat 
        experience in Syria.
            (6) Hezbollah also possesses anti-aircraft and anti-ship 
        missiles, thousands of anti-tank missiles, and an increasing 
        fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles.
            (7) Iran continues to test ballistic missile technology in 
        violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 
        (2015).
            (8) The United States remains committed to Israel's 
        qualitative military edge, including its advantage over non-
        state actors such as Hamas and Hezbollah and against enemies 
        like Iran.
            (9) The United States can help to advance its own vital 
        national security interests and the cause of peace by 
        supporting Israel's ability to defend itself against rocket, 
        missile, and other threats.
            (10) In the face of threats from its neighbors and non-
        state actors, Israel historically has sought the means to 
        defend itself, by itself.
            (11) The United States signed the largest assistance 
        agreement ever with the State of Israel in 2016, which will 
        provide up to $38 billion to Israel over a ten-year period. 
        Such agreement applies to funding in 2019.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE TO ISRAEL FOR ANTI-MISSILE DEFENSE 
              SYSTEMS.

    (a) In General.--The President, acting through the Secretary of 
Defense and the Secretary of State, is authorized to provide 
assistance, upon request of the Government of Israel, for the 
development, maintenance, enhancement, and sustainment, and procurement 
of anti-missile defense systems.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the President to carry out this section $705,800,000 
for fiscal year 2018.
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