US senators cast their votes on the first article of impeachment during the final votes in the Senate impeachment trial of US President Donald Trump in this frame grab from video shot in the Senate Chamber at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, Feb. 5, 2020. Photo: US Senate TV / Handout via Reuters.

The leaders of a top US Jewish group on Sunday praised the introduction of bipartisan Congressional legislation that would establish State Department monitoring of the treatment of citizens of Arab states who interact with Israelis.

The bill, introduced on August 6 by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and co-sponsored by Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), would require the State Department to produce an annual report on the issue.

Chairman Arthur Stark, CEO William Daroff, and Vice Chair Malcolm Hoenlein of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations praised the bill, saying, “Anti-normalization laws intended to punish those who engage with Israel have existed since its founding 72 years ago and persist to this day.”

“This bipartisan measure takes action against such policies and promotes the process of further regional normalization with Israel, which is critical to achieving a genuine and lasting peace between the Jewish state and its Arab neighbors,” they said.

“We thank Senators Portman and Booker for introducing this important legislation,” they added, “and strongly urge its passage by both chambers of Congress and enactment by the president.”