H.R.4983 - KOTEL Act
H.R. 4983 was introduced on 15 August, 2025 by Representative Michael Lawler: R-NY-17. It is currently pending before the House Foreign Affairs committee.
Related legislation:
Bill Summary: The sole purpose of H.R. 4983 is to repeal section 414 of the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986 that prohibits the use of U.S. funds under that Act for acquiring land or for the development or construction of any facility in Israel, Jerusalem, or the West Bank. The Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986 is focused only on federal spending for diplomatic security.
Context: The section of law that H.R. 4983 seeks to repeal, 22 USC 4862, was created specifically to protect U.S. equities and advance U.S. diplomatic interests by reducing U.S. diplomatic risk in a highly contested region. The law prevents the U.S. from engaging in activities in Jerusalem and the West Bank, where issues of territorial sovereignty and self-determination for Palestinians remain unresolved. Consequently, the purpose of H.R.4983 can only be read in one way: to throw caution to the winds in order to demonstrate U.S. support for Israel’s expropriation and annexation of territory in the West Bank. The introduction of this bill follows the announcement of the E1 settlement where Israeli Minister of Defense Bezalel Smotrich rejoiced that the settlement “erases 2-state delusion.” Furthermore, the name of the Bill, "Kotel" (the Hebrew word for the Wailing Wall, one of Judaism's holiest sites) is an intentional weaponization of religious terminology to advance a political objective. The timing and wording of this bill aims to send a message to the Government of Israel and to the Palestinian people, that its sponsors are working to bring the U.S. into accord with the most fervently extreme and militant elements of current Israeli politics – and are moving the United States closer to supporting annexation in violation of international law.
American Values Analysis: On the 40th Anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly, Ronald Reagan said that true peace must be based on more than just reducing the means of waging war. It must address the sources of tension that provoke men to take up arms. True peace is based on self-determination, respect for individual rights, open and honest communications, and that is the kind of peace we want. This statement is an American value that born from the mistakes and successes of its past. H.R. 4983 stands counter to that message and value. It rejects the pathway of true peace born from the dream of Palestinian self determination and embraces the values of a world before the second world war where self determination only existed for the great powers.
American Interest Analysis: H.R. 4983 stands against American interest as it further aligns the United States with the far right government in Israel and sends a message to the world that the United States Congress is moving closer to supporting the full annexation of the West Bank, thereby enhancing the precise national security risks to the United States and the threat to its diplomatic personnel in the region that the underlying statute was designed to avoid.
A New Policy’s Recommendation: OPPOSE
A New Policy opposes H.R. 4983 because it undermines American interests and Palestinian self-determination by weaponizing religious terminology to send a message that the United States is aligning with the expansion of West Bank settlements and sends a gesture of endorsing annexation.
For more information please contact: Josh Paul, info@anewpolicy.org, (202) 770-0055
