Foreign people, governments and agencies that support Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad or other terrorist groups would face sanctions under legislation recently introduced by U.S. Reps. Brian Mast (R-FL) and Ed Royce (R-CA).
Under the Palestinian International Terrorism Support Prevention Act, H.R. 2712, the president would be required to submit annual reports to Congress that identify supporters of those groups over the next three years. The president would then be directed to impose two or more sanctions in response.
“Following my service in the U.S. Army, I chose to volunteer alongside the Israeli Defense Forces because our countries share the common ideals of freedom, democracy and mutual respect for all people,” said Mast, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “Hamas preaches destruction to Israel and death to the values we hold dear in the United States. They have murdered more than 400 Israelis and at least 25 American citizens.”
To crack down on people, governments and other entities that support known terrorist groups, sanctions could include denying export-import guarantees, defense support under the Arms Export Control Act, munitions exports, exports of technology and other goods, loans of more than $10 million, and seized property.
“Hamas is a deadly terrorist organization that uses civilians as human shields,” Royce, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said. “It is an Iranian proxy that has attacked Israel and the United States. Today’s important legislation further isolates Hamas and its backer Iran — the world’s leading state sponsor of terror. It is very simple: Anyone who funds or supports Hamas should face U.S. sanctions.”
H.R. 2712 would also direct the president to withhold U.S. assistance to any governments found to support Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad for one year and to instruct executives of international finance institutions to vote in opposition to any loan or technical assistance for one year.
Mast added, “This bipartisan bill is proof that confronting hate – and supporting our ally Israel – is not an issue of left versus right; it always will be an issue of right versus wrong.”
U.S. Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-NY) helped introduce the bill.