Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) introduced legislation on Thursday that would require the U.S. State Department to submit an annual report to Congress on instances of Arab governments punishing citizens and residents who engage with Israelis.
The bill, “Strengthening Reporting of Actions Taken Against the Normalization of Relations with Israel Act of 2020,” would require the State Department to report “the status of ‘’anti-normalization laws’ in each country within the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, including indigenous efforts to sharpen existing laws, enact new or additional ‘anti-normalization legislation,’ or repeal such laws.”
The requirement would run from 2021 to 2026.
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations applauded the measure.
“Anti-normalization laws intended to punish those who engage with Israel have existed since its founding 72 years ago and persist to this day,” said the umbrella organization in a statement on Sunday. “This bipartisan measure takes action against such policies and promotes the process of further regional normalization with Israel, which is critical to achieving a genuine and lasting peace between the Jewish state and its Arab neighbors.”
