Congress: 112 · Status: active · Israel/Palestine classification: pro-Israel
Data (JSON) — machine-readable record of this bill (identifiers, sponsor, classification, actions, and the member-by-member vote breakdown).
Official record on Congress.gov — full text, actions, and cosponsor history for HR 2589.
Sponsor: Berman, Howard L. (D-CA)
Antiboycott Act - States that: (1) the Arab League boycott of Israel and the secondary boycott of U.S. firms that have commercial ties with Israel are an impediment to economic development and peace in the Middle East and North Africa; and (2) the President, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Commerce should seek an end to the Arab League boycott of Israel. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to issue regulations prohibiting, with specified exceptions, any U.S. person from taking specified actions that support any boycott imposed by a foreign country against a country that is friendly to the United States and is not itself the object of any form of boycott pursuant to United States law or regulation. Sets forth criminal and civil penalties for violations of such regulations.
This bill would make it illegal for Americans and U.S. companies to participate in foreign boycotts against countries friendly to the U.S., with specific focus on the Arab League's boycott of Israel. The Secretary of Commerce would write regulations defining prohibited actions, and violations would result in criminal and civil penalties.
This establishes federal criminal liability for participating in boycott campaigns targeting Israel, effectively restricting the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement and similar efforts at the U.S. level. The stakes center on whether such restrictions infringe on free speech and political expression versus preventing economic pressure campaigns.