text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``International Fund for Israeli-
  Palestinian Peace Authorization Act of 2017''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
  
      (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
              (1) Peaceful co-existence in the Middle East between 
          Israelis and Palestinians, and between Muslims, Christians, 
          Jews, and those of all backgrounds is in the interests of the 
          United States, Israel, the Palestinian people, and the world.
              (2) While the United States and its international allies 
          continue to support diplomatic and political negotiations 
          between the representatives of the parties to the conflict as 
          well as others, in the long run such efforts require broad 
          popular support among people in order to succeed. In order to 
          achieve lasting peace in the region, the people who live there 
          must, over time, sustain any potential high-level agreements.
              (3) Through many independent individual and nongovernmental 
          activities, tens of thousands of people of different 
          backgrounds are already working together to build better 
          relations between people, through people-to-people coexistence 
          and trust-building measures, activities, and other cooperative 
          efforts.
              (4) By working cooperatively on shared goals and addressing 
          mutual understanding, participants in such activities, 
          including youth, can come to reject violence and understand the 
          promise of peaceful coexistence.
              (5) Through support for people-to-people exchanges in the 
          region and joint economic initiatives, millions of ordinary 
          citizens affected by this conflict can assist in building 
          support for lasting peace.
              (6) Working together, the United States, countries around 
          the world, and the private sector can, and often seek to 
          support opportunities that, help sustain support for peace with 
          the establishment and funding of an independent International 
          Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace (referred to in this Act as 
          the ``International Fund''), to promote and support contact, 
          cooperation, dialogue, shared community building, peaceful 
          coexistence, joint economic development, and reconciliation 
          between Israelis and Palestinians.
              (7) United States and international support for grassroots 
          people-to-people efforts can help serve as an antidote to false 
          propaganda by terrorist groups and the growing issue of 
          incitement.
              (8) The International Fund shall serve as a coordinating 
          entity offering expertise and support, adhering to best 
          practices for governance, transparency, assessment and 
          accountability. The International Fund will be an ongoing 
          presence and catalyst for rejecting violence and building broad 
          public support for sustaining peace in the region. The 
          International Fund is not intended to be a political forum, but 
          a grant-making body to facilitate enduring people-to-people 
          relationships and sustained joint economic development.
      (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are as follows:
              (1) To urge the President to make every effort, in 
          conjunction with the Government of Israel, the Palestinian 
          Authority, regional governments, and the international 
          community to establish a non-political, mutually acceptable 
          International Fund to promote and support contact, cooperation, 
          dialogue, shared community building, peaceful coexistence, 
          joint economic development, and reconciliation between Israelis 
          and Palestinians.
              (2) To provide for United States contributions to consist 
          of amounts made available to carry out chapter 4 of part II of 
          the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2346 et seq. 
          (relating to the Economic Support Fund)) for payment to the 
          International Fund to carry out the activities described in 
          paragraph (1), in addition to overhead costs of the 
          establishment of said fund and the function of its oversight 
          board.
  
  SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN 
                PEACE.
  
      Congress urges the President to make every effort, in conjunction 
  with the Government of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and the 
  international community, to establish an International Fund for 
  Israeli-Palestinian Peace governed by a board of the constituent 
  parties to carry out the purposes described in section 2(b).
  
  SEC. 4. UNITED STATES CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR 
                ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE.
  
      (a) In General.--Of the amounts made available for each of fiscal 
  years 2017 through 2021 to carry out chapter 4 of part II of the 
  Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2346 et seq. (relating to the 
  Economic Support Fund)), $50,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated 
  for United States contributions to the International Fund following the 
  committee of jurisdictions agreement to the structure of the fund and 
  its board.
      (b) Additional Authorities.--Amounts authorized to be appropriated 
  pursuant to subsection (a)--
              (1) are in addition to amounts otherwise authorized to be 
          appropriated for such purposes; and
              (2) are authorized to remain available until expended.
  
  SEC. 5. CONDITIONS AND UNDERSTANDINGS RELATING TO INTERNATIONAL FUND 
                FOR ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE.
  
      (a) Support and Promotion of Purposes.--United States contributions 
  to the International Fund provided for in section 4 may be used only to 
  support and promote the purposes described in section 2(b).
      (b) Additional Restrictions.--The restrictions described in section 
  531(e) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2346(e)) shall 
  apply to United States contributions to the International Fund provided 
  for in section 4 to the same extent and in the same manner as such 
  restrictions apply to amounts made available to carry out chapter 4 of 
  part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. The United States 
  contributions shall be managed and dispersed through existing USAID 
  mechanisms.
      (c) United States Representation on Board of International Fund.--
  The United States shall provide two representatives from different 
  political parties to the Board of the International Fund. The function 
  of the board is to provide recommendations for programmatic support and 
  direction on promoting contact, cooperation, dialogue, shared community 
  building, peaceful coexistence, joint economic development, and 
  reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. The board should 
  oversee and contain an expertise in program integrity, monitoring and 
  evaluation and assessment.
  
  SEC. 6. ANNUAL REPORT.
  
      (a) In General.--At the end of each fiscal year in which the United 
  States Government makes any contribution to the International Fund in 
  accordance with this Act, the President shall transmit to Congress a 
  written report on the extent to which the International Fund and United 
  States contributions to the International Fund have contributed to 
  promoting and supporting contact, cooperation, dialogue, shared 
  community building, peaceful coexistence, joint economic development, 
  and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.
      (b) Matters To Be Included.--The reports required under subsection 
  (a) shall also include the following:
              (1) Information on contributions pledged to, contributions 
          (including donations from the private sector) received by, and 
          projects funded by the International Fund, and the mechanisms 
          established for transparency and accountability in the grant-
          making process.
              (2) A description of the International Fund's operations, 
          activities, budget, receipts, and expenditures for the 
          preceding 12-month period, including an audited report of the 
          International Fund's finances, including statements of 
          financial position, operations, and cash flows, in accordance 
          with the United States generally accepted government auditing 
          standards as prescribed by the Comptroller General.
              (3) Insights gleaned from what drives the efficacy of 
          people-to-people relationships in addition to a description of 
          potential strategies for getting to sustainability for civic 
          institutions that the fund creates or supports including novel 
          financing mechanisms.
target: International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace Authorization Act of 2017  This bill urges the President to make every effort, in conjunction with the government of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and the international community, to establish an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace to promote and support contact, cooperation, dialogue, shared community building, peaceful coexistence, joint economic development, and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. The bill authorizes appropriations for U.S. contributions to the fund following the committee of jurisdictions' agreement to the structure of the fund and its board.
feat_title: International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace Authorization Act of 2017