Title: Guaranteeing Israel’s QME Act of 2020
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Guaranteeing Israel's QME Act of 2020
This bill requires the President to seek to consult with appropriate officials of the Israeli government before making a determination that the sale or export of defense articles or services to a country in the Middle East will not adversely affect Israel's qualitative military edge. The President must also submit a determination with regard to the impact on Israel's qualitative military edge of fulfilling a letter of request for defense articles or defense services sent by a country in the Middle East.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8494 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8494

  To reaffirm the critical role of congressional consultation and to 
 require appropriate deliberation to assess the effects of the sale or 
 export of major defense equipment to countries in the Middle East on 
    the qualitative military edge of Israel, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 1, 2020

 Mr. Schneider (for himself, Mr. Deutch, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Sherman, 
 Mr. Katko, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Reed, Mr. Gottheimer, Mr. Bera, 
  Mrs. Murphy of Florida, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, Mr. Trone, Mr. 
  Cisneros, Mrs. Luria, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Rose of New York, Ms. Torres 
  Small of New Mexico, and Mr. Suozzi) introduced the following bill; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To reaffirm the critical role of congressional consultation and to 
 require appropriate deliberation to assess the effects of the sale or 
 export of major defense equipment to countries in the Middle East on 
    the qualitative military edge of Israel, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Guaranteeing Israel's QME Act of 
2020''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The recent signing of the Abraham Accords and 
        establishment of full diplomatic relations between United Arab 
        Emirates and Bahrain with Israel represents a historic step 
        towards perusing peace and security for all peoples in the 
        Middle East region.
            (2) Israel remains the most important and most reliable 
        strategic ally of the United States in the Middle East.
            (3) The enactment of the United States-Israel Strategic 
        Partnership Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-296) established Israel 
        as a major strategic partner of the United States.
            (4) Certain countries and non-state actors in the Middle 
        East region have been at war, both declared and undeclared, 
        with Israel since its founding in 1948.
            (5) For more than 50 years, the United States has worked to 
        ensure Israel's qualitative military edge when considering the 
        sale or export of defense articles and defense services to 
        Israel or to others in the Middle East region.
            (6) Maintaining a substantial qualitative military edge is 
        critical to preserving Israel's safety and security, and has 
        been a vital consideration in all previous sales of weapons to 
        the region.
            (7) Since 2008, the United States commitment to Israel's 
        qualitative military edge has been established and reaffirmed 
        several times in law.
            (8) In 2016, the United States and Israel signed a 10-year 
        Memorandum of Understanding, in which the United States 
        committed that ``the acquisition of additional U.S.-produced 
        capabilities and technology provide the best means to ensure 
        Israel preserves its Qualitative Military Edge (QME)''.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the President, consistent with 
long established United States law and in support of one of the most 
important United States allies, must ensure that any sale or export of 
defense articles or defense services to countries in the Middle East 
region does not in any way adversely affect Israel's qualitative 
military edge.

SEC. 4. ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT AND CONSULTATION REGARDING ISRAEL'S 
              QUALITATIVE MILITARY EDGE.

    Section 36(h) of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2776(h)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Consultation required.--The President shall seek to 
        consult with appropriate officials of the Government of Israel 
        for information regarding Israel's qualitative military edge 
        before making a determination under paragraph (1).
            ``(5) Initial determination with respect to letters of 
        request.--Not later than 60 days after the date of a letter of 
        request for defense articles or defense services subject to 
        this section, the President shall submit to Congress an 
        unclassified determination with respect to the impact 
        fulfilling such request would have on Israel's qualitative 
        military edge, and offer to provide supplemental classified 
        briefing on such determination.''.
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