Make Gaza Great Again Act
The Make Gaza Great Again Act would authorize the United States to sanction foreign individuals and governments that do not cooperate with U.S. efforts to offer humanitarian entry to Palestinians from Gaza. Specifically, it requires the President to create and maintain a public (unclassified) list of foreign persons who represent a foreign government and who have rejected a U.S. request to allow humanitarian entry. Those listed could face asset blocking, visa/entry bans, and other penalties under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The measure also allows the President to suspend a country’s Major Non-NATO Ally designation and foreign assistance if its government declines to offer humanitarian entry, and it includes a five-year sunset for the sanctions authority. Israel and Israeli nationals are explicitly exempt from the act’s scope.
Key Points
- 1Sanctions framework for non-cooperating foreign persons: The President may block property and prohibit transactions, and individuals on the latest list may be denied visas and other entry benefits under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Israel and its nationals are explicitly excluded from the act.
- 2List creation and updates: Within 60 days of enactment, the President must provide Congress a list of foreign persons who have rejected a request to grant humanitarian entry to Gazan Palestinians; the list must be updated every 180 days for 5 years (or as new information becomes available) and must be submitted in unclassified form (with possible classified annex).
- 3Waiver and oversight: The President can waive sanctions on a case-by-case basis if in the national interest, but must provide a classified report to Congress on waivers every 120 days during the waiver period. Certain national security reporting requirements and authorized intelligence or law enforcement activities are exempt from sanctions.
- 4Suspension of aid and allied designations: The President may suspend a country’s Major Non-NATO Ally designation and suspend all forms of foreign assistance, including security aid, if its government declines to offer humanitarian entry; such suspensions can be terminated by the President with notice to Congress.
- 5Sunset and definitions: The sanctions authority expires five years after enactment. “Appropriate congressional committees” are the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.