# Plain Language Summary: HATIKVAHH Act

This bill would cut off U.S. funding to international organizations operating in Gaza and the West Bank if they have any connections to certain terrorist groups, specifically Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Palestine Liberation Front, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. The State Department would have to check these organizations every six months and certify whether they're complying with strict rules about not supporting, cooperating with, or employing members of these terrorist organizations. If an organization fails this test twice in a row, the U.S. would stop sending it money until it can prove it's complying.

The bill sets up a long list of requirements that international organizations would need to meet to keep receiving American funding. They can't provide any resources or support to the listed terrorist groups, can't employ anyone connected to them, can't let their buildings or equipment be used by these groups, and can't give money to other organizations that have ties to terrorism. The organizations also need to undergo financial audits by independent firms to make sure no terrorist groups are getting their hands on U.S. funds. Additionally, no one working for these organizations—whether as an official, employee, or contractor—can be affiliated with these groups or have called for violence against Americans.

The practical effect is that humanitarian and development organizations working in Gaza and the West Bank would face much stricter scrutiny and could lose American funding if they're found to have any connection to these designated terrorist organizations. The State Department would also be required to push other countries to stop funding these same organizations. Each United Nations agency operating in these areas would be evaluated separately, so even if one UN program passes inspection, another could fail and lose funding independently.

HATIKVAHH Act

Tenney, Claudia

Halting Appropriations for Terrorist-supporting Institutions that Knowingly provide Valued Assets to Hamas and Hezbollah Act or the HATIKVAHH ActThis bill suspends federal assistance to certain international organizations determined to support&nbsp;or cooperate with Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Palestine Liberation Front, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, or other groups designated as terrorist organizations operating in Gaza or Judea and Samaria.The Department of State shall make such determinations on international organizations receiving federal funding that operate in Gaza or Judea and Samaria and periodically report to Congress. The State Department shall make a determination on each United Nations agency as a separate international organization.