Congress: 119 · 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 4051.
Sponsor: Steube, W. Gregory (R-Florida)
This bill suspends direct U.S. government assistance to South Africa unless the State Department certifies that South Africa has stopped supporting international legal actions against Israel, implemented anti-corruption reforms, and engaged constructively with U.S. diplomats on international legal standards. It also requires the President to impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act against South African officials who promote antisemitic policies, use their office to target Israel or Jewish individuals through international courts, or engage in gross corruption. The State Department must report within 90 days on all South African legal, diplomatic, and rhetorical actions against Israel, Jews, or Jewish institutions over the past five years, and update that report annually for three years. Humanitarian aid and public health programs run by nonprofits remain exempt from the assistance ban.
This targets South Africa specifically for its legal actions at the International Court of Justice and other forums regarding Israel's conduct, framing such litigation as inherently antisemitic rather than legitimate human rights advocacy. It uses the foreign aid and sanctions apparatus to penalize a country for pursuing legal remedies through international institutions — a precedent that could chill other nations' willingness to bring similar cases or support Palestinian rights claims without fear of U.S. retaliation.