To clarify that it is United States policy to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1372 To clarify that it is United States policy to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 26, 2019 Mr. GALLAGHER (for himself, Mr. MAST, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. BANKS, Ms. STEFANIK, Mr. COLE, Mr. MEADOWS, Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio, Mr. PERRY, Mr. MARSHALL, Mr. GREEN of Tennessee, Mr. ZELDIN, Mr. BUDD, and Mr. HICE of Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Science, Space, and Technology, and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the juris- diction of the committee concerned A BILL To clarify that it is United States policy to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 3 that— 4 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 5 Congress finds the following: 6 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:08 Mar 06, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1372.IH H1372 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HR 1372 IH (1) On September 1, 1975, President Gerald 1 Ford provided a diplomatic assurance to Israel that 2 ‘‘the U.S. will support the position that an overall 3 settlement with Syria in the framework of a peace 4 agreement must assure Israel’s security from attack 5 from the Golan Heights [and] it will give great 6 weight to Israel’s position that any peace agreement 7 with Syria must be predicated on Israel remaining 8 on the Golan Heights’’. 9 (2) In October 1991, Secretary of State James 10 Baker provided a diplomatic assurance to Israel that 11 ‘‘the United States continues to stand behind the as- 12 surance given by President Ford to Prime Minister 13 Rabin on September 1, 1975’’. 14 (3) Iran has used the war in Syria to establish 15 a long-term military presence in the Levant, to at- 16 tack Israel from across the Golan Heights, and to 17 create territorial corridors that allow it to provide 18 arms to its troops and terrorist proxies. 19 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 20 It is the sense of Congress that— 21 (1) Israel’s security from attacks from Syria 22 and Lebanon cannot be assured without Israeli sov- 23 ereignty over the Golan Heights; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:08 Mar 06, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1372.IH H1372 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HR 1372 IH (2) in light of new realities on the ground, in- 1 cluding Iran’s presence in Syria— 2 (A) it is unrealistic to expect that the out- 3 come of a peace agreement between Israel and 4 Syria will be an Israeli withdrawal from the 5 Golan Heights; and 6 (B) it is realistic to expect that any peace 7 agreement between Israel and Syria will only be 8 achieved on the basis of Israel remaining on the 9 Golan Heights; and 10 (3) it is in the United States national security 11 interest to ensure that— 12 (A) Israel retains control of the Golan 13 Heights; and 14 (B) the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad 15 faces diplomatic and geopolitical consequences 16 for its killing of civilians, the ethnic cleansing 17 of Arab Sunnis, and the use of weapons of 18 mass destruction. 19 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF UNITED STATES POLICY. 20 It shall be the policy of the United States— 21 (1) to recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the 22 Golan Heights; and 23 (2) to promote and conduct joint projects with 24 Israel on the Golan Heights, including projects— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:08 Mar 06, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1372.IH H1372 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HR 1372 IH (A) in basic and applied scientific fields; 1 (B) in industrial research and develop- 2 ment; and 3 (C) in strategic and applied research of ag- 4 ricultural problems. 5 SEC. 4. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 6 Any reference to ‘‘Israel’’ in any existing or future 7 Act of Congress relating to appropriations or foreign com- 8 merce, including customs and international trade, shall be 9 interpreted to include the Golan Heights. 10 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:08 Mar 06, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H1372.IH H1372 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS