,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #ddhb  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,august #f1    
#bjbj,mr4 ,booker 7for himself and ,mr4 
,portman7 introduced the following bill2
 which was read twice and referred to   
the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations   
,a ,,bill  ,to require the ,secretary of
 ,state to submit to ,congress an annual
 report regarding instances of ,arab    
government retribution toward citizens  
and residents who engage in             
people-to-people relations with         
,israelis4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act 
may be cited as the ,strengthening      
,reporting of ,actions ,taken ,against  
the ,normalization of ,relations with   
,israel ,act of #bjbj4  #b4 ,findings   
,congress makes the following findings3 
7#a7 ,the ,arab ,league1 an organization
 comprising #bb ,middle ,eastern and    
,african countries and entities1 has    
maintained an official boycott of       
,israeli companies and ,israeli-made    
goods since the founding of ,israel in  

#aidh4  7#b7 ,longstanding ,united      
,states policy has encouraged ,arab     
,league states to normalize their       
relations with ,israel and has long     
prioritized funding cooperative programs
 that promote normalization between     
,arab ,league ,states and ,israel1      
including the ,middle ,east ,regional   
,cooperation program1 which promotes    
,arab-,israeli scientific cooperation4  
7#c7 ,while some ,arab ,league          
governments are signaling enhanced      
cooperation with the state of ,israel on
 the government-to-government level1    
most continue to persecute their own    
citizens who establish people-to-people 
relations with ,israelis in             
nongovernmental fora1 through a         
combination of judicial and             
extrajudicial retribution4  7#d7 ,some  
,arab ,league states maintain draconian 
anti-normalization laws that punish     
their citizens for people-to-people     
relations with ,israelis1 with          
punishments1 including imprisonment1    

revocation of citizenship1 and          
execution4 ,extrajudicial punishments by
 these and other ,arab states include   
summary imprisonment1 accusations of    
treason in government-controlled media1 
and professional blacklisting4  7#e7    
,anti-normalization laws1 together with 
the other forms of retribution1         
effectively condemn these societies to  
mutual estrangement and1 by extension1  
reduce the possibility of conciliation  
and compromise4  7#f7 ,despite the risk 
of retaliatory action1 a rising tide of 
,arab civic actors advocate direct      
engagement with ,israeli citizens and   
residents4 ,these include the ,arab     
,council for ,regional ,integration1 a  
group of #cb public figures from #ae    
,arab countries who oppose the boycott  
of ,israel on the grounds that the      
boycott has denied ,arabs the benefits  
of partnership with ,israelis1 has      
blocked ,arabs from helping to bridge   
the ,israeli-,palestinian divide1 and   
inspired divisive intra-,arab boycotts  

among diverse sects and ethnic groups4  
7#g7 ,on ,february #aa1 #bjbj1 a        
delegation of the ,arab ,council to the 
,french ,national ,assembly in ,paris   
testified to the harmful effects of     
anti-normalization laws1 called on the  
,assembly to enact a law instructing the
 relevant ,french authorities to issue  
an annual report on instances of ,arab  
government retribution for any of their 
citizens or residents who call for peace
 with ,israel or engage in direct civil 
relations with ,israeli citizens1 and   
requested democratic legislatures to    
help defend the region's civil          
peacemakers4  7#h7 ,on ,may #aa1 #bjbj1 
#he leaders in ,france published an     
endorsement of the ,arab ,council's     
proposal1 calling on ,france and other  
democratic governments to protect ,arabs
 who engage in dialogue with ,israeli   
citizens and proposing the creation of a
 study group in the ,national ,assembly 
as well as in the ,senate whose mission 
would be to ensure a legal and technical

 monitoring of the obstacles which ,arab
 proponents of dialogue with ,israelis  
face4  7#i7 ,arab-,israeli cooperation  
provides significant symbiotic benefit  
to the security and economic prosperity 
of the region4  #c4 ,additional         
reporting in the annual human rights    
report ,the ,secretary of ,state shall  
include in the ,country ,report on      
,human ,rights ,practices submitted     
annually for each of #bjba through #bjbf
 under section #aaf7;d7 of the ,foreign 
,assistance ,act of #aifa 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4
 #baean7d77 the following information3  
7#a7 ,the status of anti-normalization  
laws in each country within the         
jurisdiction of the ,bureau of ,near    
,eastern ,affairs1 including indigenous 
efforts to sharpen existing laws1 enact 
new or additional anti-normalization    
legislation1 or repeal such laws4  7#b7 
,instances of prosecution of citizens or
 residents of ,arab countries for       
calling for peace with ,israel1 visiting
 the state of ,israel1 or in any way    

engaging ,israeli citizens in any       
country4  7#c7 ,instances of            
extrajudicial retribution by ,arab      
governments or government-controlled    
institutions against citizens or        
residents of ,arab countries for any of 
the same actions4  7#d7 ,evidence of    
steps taken by ,arab governments toward 
permitting or encouraging               
people-to-people relations between their
 citizens or residents and ,israeli     
citizens4