§4452 United States-israel Trade and Commercial Enhancement

Summary

Requires the President to give Congress a report about politically motivated boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against Israel within 180 days after February 24, 2016, and every year after. The report must describe trade or investment barriers made against U.S. people who do business with Israel, explain what the U.S. is doing to stop those barriers and how well those efforts are working, list steps to prevent foreign investigations or prosecutions of U.S. people just for doing business with Israel, and note foreign companies or banks that limit or stop dealing with Israel. The law says the United States supports stronger economic and trade ties with Israel, opposes politically motivated boycotts or sanctions that single out Israel, asks that these issues be discussed in U.S.-Israel economic meetings, and makes preventing discrimination against U.S. businesses dealing with Israel a trade goal. It also says U.S. courts must not recognize or enforce a foreign court’s civil judgment against a U.S. person if that judgment is based on the idea that doing business with Israel or in territory controlled by Israel breaks foreign law. Definitions (short): “boycott of, divestment from, and sanctions against Israel” — politically motivated actions to punish trade with Israel; “domestic court” — U.S. federal, state, territorial, or D.C. courts; “foreign court” — a court or tribunal of another country; “foreign judgment” — a final civil judgment from a foreign court; “foreign person” — a non-U.S. individual or non-U.S. company; “person” — a natural person or business organization (not a non-business government); “United States person” — a U.S. national or a U.S.-organized entity more than 50% owned by U.S. nationals.