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APN Legislative Round-Up for the Week Ending August 5, 2011

1. Bills, Resolutions and Letters
2. Senate Version of the State Department Authorization Bill
3. Confirmation hearing for US Ambassadors to Syria and Turkey
4. Odds and Ends

Note: APN was featured 8/5/11 in the Forward, alongside a number of other voices, weighing in on the implications of a September move by the Palestinians at the UN. Other voices included Danny Ayalon, Hussein Ibish, Shlomo Gazit, David Harris, Gabriela Shalev, and Maen Areikat.

Also, for people interested in the housing protests (and related protests) that have taken off throughout Israel, see this piece by APN.

1. Bills, Resolutions and Letters

(STATE AUTH - SENATE) S. 1426: Introduced 7/27/11 by Sen. Kerry (D-MA), the "Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013." Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations (see section 2, below, for details).

(SYRIA SANCTIONS) S. 1472: Introduced 8/2/11 By Reps. Gillibrand (D-NY), Kirk (R-IL) and Lieberman (R-, I mean I-CT), "Syria Sanctions Act of 2011." Referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. This bill seeks to "impose sanctions on persons making certain investments that directly and significantly contribute to the enhancement of the ability of Syria to develop its petroleum resources." It is similar to HR 2106 (see below for more details).

(SYRIA/IRAN SANCTIONS) S. 1496: Introduced 8/2/11 by Sen. Collins (R-ME), Lieberman (R-, I mean I-CT), and Begich (D-AK), the "Ethical Shipping Inspections Act of 2011." The bill seeks to "to prohibit the delegation by the United States of inspection, certification, and related services to a foreign classification society that provides comparable services to Iran, North Korea, North Sudan, or Syria." Senator Collins' statement introducing the bill (on behalf of all three original sponsors) can be read here.

(SYRIA SANCTIONS) HR 2106: Introduced 6/3/11 by Reps. Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Engel (D-NY) (no new cosponsors have been added since then), "Syria Freedom Support Act." On 7/29/11, HR 2016 was referred to the Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade (which may be an indication that this bill is getting ready to move). For details on the introduction of this bill, see the 6/11 and 6/17 edition of the Round-Up.

(SYRIA SANCTIONS LETTER - SENATE) Senators Boxer (D-CA) and DeMint (R-SC) are urging Senators to join them sending a letter to President Obama pressing the president to impose new sanctions on Syria, including sanctions along the lines of those recently imposed on Iran ("crippling" sanctions targeting the energy sector). The text of the letter is available here. This letter parallels a letter being circulated in the House (covered in last week's Round-Up). Both letters are featured in the "Take Action" section of AIPAC's website.

(CALL FOR CLEMENCY FOR POLLARD) On 8/1/11 Rep. Frank (D-MA) took to the House floor to plea for clemency for Jonathan Pollard, convicted of spying against the U.S. for Israel. On 8/2/11 Rep. Frank returned to the House floor to submit to the record a letter signed by 38 of his House colleagues urging President Obama to pardon Pollard. Frank's statement and the letter can be read here. The issue of Pollard last came up on the Hill in fall 2010 (just before mid-term elections), with a House letter urging he be pardoned. For coverage of that time around, see the 10/1/10 and 11/19/10 editions of the Round-Up.

2. Senate Version of the State Department Authorization Bill

On 7/27/11 Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Kerry (D-MA) introduced S. 1426, the Senate version of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2012 and 2013. In contrast to the House version (covered in excruciating detail in the 7/22 and 7/29 issues of the Round-Up), which is simply a flagrant exercise in grandstanding, the Senate bill is an example of a sober, serious effort to balance budget constraints with rational policy. The result is a bill that notably does not include a single specifically Middle East provision (making it mercifully/joyfully easy to cover for the Round-Up), other than:

- a soft earmark for Migration and Refugee Assistance for Israel ($25 million "may be used for the resettlement of humanitarian migrants to Israel")
- Renewal of the requirement of a report on United Nations Policy on Israel
- mention of both Egypt and Yemen in a section on "PROMOTING GLOBAL ACCESS TO CONNECTIVE TECHNOLOGIES," which among other things notes the role that social media has played in ongoing uprisings in the Arab world and requires USAID to study the "causal connection between access to connective technologies and the fulfillment of diplomatic, economic, or development goals and objectives, in cooperation with relevant multilateral or nongovernmental entities."

For general coverage of the Senate bill, see:
Kerry press release and bill summary 7/27/11: Kerry Introduces Legislation To Authorize and Strengthen The State Department And U.S. Diplomacy
US Global Leadership Campaign: Kerry and Lugar Introduce State Department Authorization Bill
The Cable 7/27/11: Kerry says yes to State Dept. funding, Ros-Lehtinen says no

3. Confirmation hearing for US Ambassadors to Syria and Turkey

On 8/2/11 the Senate Foreign Relations Committee met to consider the nominations of Robert Ford as U.S. Ambassador to Syria and Frank Ricciardone as U.S. Ambassador to Turkey (along with Norman Eisen as U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic). Video of the hearing is available here.

Both Ford and Ricciardone are already in place at their respective posts in Damascus and Ankara, but both of their appointments are only temporary. In both cases, faced with Senate unwillingness to confirm his nominees, and faced with the prospect of leaving these two key posts vacant for an extended period of time, at the end of 2010 President Obama used his power to appoint the two ambassadors using recess appointments - a power that the president has to skip the normally-required confirmation process to make important appointments when Congress is out of session.

Ambassador Ford's prepared testimony is available here. Given ongoing events in Syria, it is not surprising that Ford's nomination drew a great deal of interest, including his comments to the effect that certain new sanctions being sought by Congress - sanctions similar to those imposed last year by Congress on Iran - are unlikely to have much impact on the Syrian regime. Such comments are unlikely to endear Ambassador Ford to groups pushing those sanctions, like AIPAC and the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy.

For further reporting on the hearing, see:

FoxNews 8/3/11: Only One Senator Stays to Question U.S. Envoy to Syria at Confirmation Hearing
Washington Post (Blog) 8/3/11: As violence in Syria grows, only one senator attended U.S. ambassador's confirmation; Elliott Abrams has more questions
CFR Op-Ed (Eliot Abrams) 8/2/11: Ten Questions Ambassador Ford Should Have Been Asked

Ambassador Ricciardone's prepared testimony is available here. Given the importance of Turkey in current geo-political dynamics (with respect to Syria, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and its growing influence in the Arab world), it is rather surprising that his nomination drew very little comment or attention outside of Turkey and the Armenian community in the United States (and its opponents). For further reading, see:
Hurriyet Daily News (Turkey) 8/3/11: Ricciardone's fate to gain clarity next month
The Armenian Weekly 8/3/11: Amb. Ricciardone Dodges Sen. Menendez's Questions on Genocide
HistoryofTruth.Org (anti-Armenian Turkish site) 7/29/11: Armenian Diaspora Launches Campaign Against U.S. Ambassador To Turkey Nominee Francis Ricciardone

4. Odds and Ends

Jerusalem Post 8/5/11: US Jewish groups pressing Congress to halt aid to PA

Detroit News 8/4/11: Jewish voters worry about proposed 14th District

The Empire 8/4/11: Weprin campaign pushes past Israel in NY-9

World Tribune 8/4/11: Congress to evaluate aid to post-Mubarak Egypt

World Tribune 8/4/11: U.S. senators seek 'crippling sanctions' like Iran's on Syria

UPI 8/3/11: Supporters seek release of convicted spy

Wall Street Journal 7/30/11: U.S., Saudis to Discuss Nuclear Agreement

JTA 7/25/11: Jewish Dems aim to give Obama more leeway on aid to Arabs



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Past editions of the Round-Up are archived and available online at:
http://peacenow.org/legislative-round-ups

Americans for Peace Now promotes Israeli security through the peace process and supports the Israeli Peace Now movement. For more information, visit the APN web site at www.peacenow.orgor contact Lara Friedman, APN Director of Policy and Government Relations, at 202/408-9898, or at lfriedman@peacenow.org.