Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2009

S.3288
Introduced: 
July 18, 2008
110
Second
July 18, 2008
Placed on Senate calendar

No cosponsors

The funding relating to Israel and Palestine in this bill falls under the following accounts:

Foreign Military Financing (FMF): Provides the same level of FMF grants for Israel as H.R. 2638 of 6/8/07.
Migration and Refugee Assistance: $30 m. to resettle refugees in Israel.

Economic Support Funds (ESF): Provides $75 m. for assistance to the West Bank and Gaza. This funding is restricted according to the terms laid out in H.R. 2764 of 6/18/07, which stipulate, inter alia, that funds cannot go directly to the PA without meeting certain strict conditions and without a presidential waiver. Funds can also not go to PA employees in Gaza, to Hamas, to any Hamas-controlled entity, or to any “power-sharing government” with Hamas until Hamas accepts certain principles. Requires the secy. of state to conduct a yearly audit of all funds transferred to the PA.

International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement (INCLE): The Senate Appropriations Committee details in its report (110-425) that $25 m. be made available for the West Bank and Gaza.

Other relevant provisions:

$20 m. is provided under the Democracy Fund for programs to counter Iranian influence in Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza. Under the Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining and Related Programs (NADR) account, U.S. funding of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is conditioned on Israel “not being denied its right to participate” in the activities of the IAEA. The bill requires the secy. of state to record the place of birth of a U.S. citizen born in Jerusalem as Israel on birth certificates, certification of nationality, or passports, if so requested. It also allows for commercial leasing of military equipment to Israel, makes available $345,000 to the Israeli Arab Scholarship Fund for Israeli Arabs to attend U.S. institutions of higher learning, and recommends consideration of funding for the First Regional Cooperative Program for Health to be conducted by the Hebrew University's Kuvin Center and al-Quds University as well as for a proposal of the St. John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem to promote cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians and improve healthcare for the Palestinian people.

See also: related measures H.R. 2764 of 6/18/07 for FY2008 appropriations, H.R. 2638 of 6/8/07 for FY2009 appropriations, H.R. 5916 of 4/29/08, and H.R. 7177 9/27/08.

More info

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