United States–Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 (; ) are almost identical bills introduced to the

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Background

The United States and Israel do not have a formal

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations An international organization or international o ...

of alliance, as the US does with other nations, and it is under no obligation to come to Israel's defense. However, the US does refer to Israel and other nations without treaties as allies. The US has supported Israel with foreign aid, providing nearly $3 billion in grants annually to Israel since 1985; Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of US foreign aid since

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. Israel applied to join the US government's

Visa Waiver Program The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is a program of the United States federal government that allows nationals of specific countries to travel to the U.S. for tourism, business, or while in transit for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa. It ...

in 2005. The program permits citizens of selected countries to enter the US for up to 90 days without having to apply for an entry visa. The

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rejected the bid because not all Israeli citizens own a biometric passport, the entry visa rejection rate for Israelis exceeded 3%, and Israel insists on stricter security checks for

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s than other American citizens. Israeli officials state that US citizens are free to travel to Israel. However, many Americans with Muslim or Arab names have been turned away from Israel without explanation. The US State Department states that "U.S. citizens whom Israeli authorities suspect of being of Arab, Middle Eastern, or Muslim origin" may be denied "entry or exit without explanation."

Provisions/Elements of the bill

''This summary is based largely on the summary provided by the

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, a

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source.'' In both the House and Senate versions the bill declares that Israel is a major strategic partner of the United States. It amends the Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012 to extend authority to add to foreign-based defense stockpiles and transfer obsolete or surplus

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD or DOD) is an executive branch department of the federal government charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government directly related to national secu ...

items to Israel. It authorizes the

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to carry out US-Israel cooperative activities, including in the fields of energy, water, homeland security, cyber-security, agriculture, and alternative fuel technologies, as well as renewable energy or energy efficiency. It also urges the President to provide assistance for enhancement of rocket defense systems. The House version states that it shall be US policy to include Israel in the visa waiver program when Israel satisfies such program's inclusion requirements. The Senate version specifies that satisfaction of the requirements regarding reciprocal travel privileges for U.S. citizens would be subject to security concerns.

Procedural history

In the House of Representatives, Representative

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(R-FL) introduced the bill H.R.938 on March 4, 2013. It currently has 182 cosponsors and has been referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration And Border Security. In the

, Senator

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(D-CA) introduced the bill S.462 on March 5, 2013. It had 63 cosponsors and has been referred to the

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. The Bill was read twice and did not reach the Senate floor.

Public perception

The bills have been promoted by the

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("AIPAC"), including at its annual conference in March 2013.Ron Kampeas
In U.S. fight over visa waiver exemption for Israel, both sides cite discrimination

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, April 15, 2013. AIPAC says that the bill's designation of Israel as a major strategic ally would be beneficial to the United States, as the "Middle East sin turmoil." AIPAC says that it is therefore important for America to "strengthen our alliance with friendly and reliable states," with Israel being such a state. The

American Jewish Committee The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is a Jewish advocacy group established on November 11, 1906. It is one of the oldest Jewish advocacy organizations and, according to ''The New York Times'', is "widely regarded as the dean of American Jewish org ...

supports both versions of the bill as well. An assistant legislative director at the American Jewish Committee stated that Israel had a "relatively low visa refusal rate," despite heavy screening and security procedures. Responding to concerns about Israeli Arabs posing a security risk to the United States, the AJC said such concerns "were overblown." Representative Brad Sherman argued that there exist at least five other countries with a visa refusal rate of over 3% which were allowed into the program, and these rates were higher than Israel's 5.4% refusal rate. He added that he believes that accepting Israel to the visa waiver program wouldn't cause discrimination, but rather end it, and criticized opponents of the bill as members of a campaign to delegitimize the state of Israel. Lara Friedman of Americans for Peace Now wrote that the bill "takes the extraordinary step of seeking to change the current U.S. law to create a special and unique exception for Israel in U.S. immigration law."Lara Friedman
APN Legislative Round-Up: Week Ending 3/8/13
Americans for Peace Now web site, March 8, 2013, ''accessed April 17, 2013.'' James Zogby, president of the

Arab American Institute The Arab American Institute (AAI) is a Nonprofit organization, non-profit membership organization that advocates for the interests of Arab Americans, Arab-Americans. Founded in 1985 by James Zogby, the brother of pollster John Zogby, the organiza ...

, has lobbied against the Senate language, and said passage of such a law would codify discriminatory treatment.

Notes/References

External links

* Thoms.loc.gov
H.R. 938

S. 462
. *Congress.gov
H.R. 938S. 462
* GovTrack.us
H.R. 938S. 462
*

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