House shows support for Israel

The House by a vote of 398-17 on Tuesday passed a resolution opposing the global boycott, divestment and sanctions movement (BDS movement) against Israel, including the targeting of U.S. companies engaged in legal commercial activities with Israel. Introduced March 21 by Rep. Bradley Schneider, D-Ill., H. Res. 246 states that the global BDS movement undermines the possibility for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict “by demanding concessions of one party alone and encouraging the Palestinians to reject negotiations in favor of international pressure.” The resolution also supports new efforts to enhance government-wide, coordinated U.S.-Israel scientific and technological cooperation in civilian areas, including with respect to energy, water, agriculture, alternative fuel technology, civilian space technology and security, to counter the effects of actions to boycott, divest from or sanction Israel. The legislation is written in the form of a simple House resolution, meaning that it can only be passed by that chamber, will not be presented to the president for signature and cannot become binding law. The thrust of the bill is to express opposition to the BDS movement, but the legislation will not require any actions to counter it. The resolution also reaffirms the House’s “strong support” for a negotiated solution resulting in separate states of Israel and Palestine, “living side by side in peace, security and mutual recognition.” H. Res. 246 garnered “yes” votes from 209 Democrats and 189 Republicans, with Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky being the only Republican to oppose the bill. Among the Democrats voting against the bill were Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, as well as House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Earl Blumenauer of Oregon. Tlaib and Omar support the BDS movement and have raised concerns about the impacts to free speech of efforts to counter the movement. Blumenauer’s vote largely aligned with the progressive congressman’s previously expressed criticism of Israel and support for Palestine. Blumenauer co-sponsored legislation in November 2017 to require the State Department to certify that the U.S. isn’t funding military detention, interrogation, abuse or ill-treatment of Palestinian children through its support for Israel. He also voiced opposition to anti-boycott legislation introduced in 2017 by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., telling a local Oregon newspaper that the bill failed to “differentiate between Israel and the territories it has occupied since 1967,” noting that the legislation “puts a two-state solution further out of reach.”