Gee, the White House has no opine, golly  

This is a really interesting story.
I am not sure of all the nuances, or how it will play out, but this seem to add a twist to the deal.

The story:

Israeli-Palestinian politics injected into Ex-Im battle
International issues are being factored into efforts to resuscitate the government credit agency.
By BURGESS EVERETT and JOHN BRESNAHAN 11/24/15 05:12 AM EST
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A new wrinkle is coming to the debate over the future of the Export-Import Bank: The politics of Israeli-Palestinian relations.
Congress next month is expected to resuscitate the government credit agency that's been shuttered since July. But senators from both parties are pitching a condition: that applicants for loans essentially vouch support for the Israeli economy in order to be approved. The move, described by multiple sources, is meant to counter a pro-Palestinian campaign to undermine Israeli exports because of its occupation of the West Bank and blockade of the Gaza Strip.
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Some Ex-Im supporters fret that injecting Middle East politics into the equation could complicate their efforts to revive the bank in the face of heavy opposition from conservatives. But a bipartisan group of lawmakers is coalescing behind the popular proposal, which the White House is expected to oppose, aides said Monday.
Specifically, the Ex-Im Bank would have to consider whether applicants for loans oppose “policies and actions that are politically motivated" and meant to inhibit "commercial relations specifically with citizens or residents of Israel." In the past, Ex-Im has taken into account applicants’ stance on human rights and terrorism, prompting advocates of the new language to propose the new qualification.
Lawmakers are planning to resurrect the bank as part of a must-pass transportation and infrastructure bill next month. The attempt to insert the pro-Israel language is being led by Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who faces a tough reelection next year, along with prominent Jewish Democrats Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is also strongly advocating for inclusion of the language, meant to undercut the so-called boycott, divestiture and sanctions campaign against Israel.
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The collaboration marks a return of Israeli politics on Capitol Hill after a divisive fight over the nuclear deal with Iran, which Democrats largely backed over the objections of Israel.
Portman and Cardin worked earlier this year to add similar language discouraging boycotts of Israel to a sweeping trade package. In a letter to fellow senators last week, the pair raised alarms over new European Commission labeling requirements for Israeli-made products that they believe were imposed specifically to encourage boycotts of Israeli commerce.
“We believe that the United States should bring not only its foreign policy but also its economic institutions, relationships, and leverage to bear on this issue,” the senators wrote in a letter to Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who are negotiating the transportation bill with the House. “As the official export credit agency of the U.S., the Ex-Im Bank has a clear role to play.”
The Ex-Im Bank has been a lightning rod all year. Conservatives and some establishment Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, celebrated its closure this summer, even as its backers in the business community warned of massive job losses. Business-wing House Republicans joined with Democrats to force a vote in the lower chamber, capitalizing on the turmoil in the GOP leadership this fall.
Now some Ex-Im backers are anxious that injecting the charged politics of Israeli-Palestinian affairs could upset their efforts to renew the bank.
In an interview, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) said she supports the pro-Israel language as long as “there is a path forward without stopping the reauthorization of the bank.” During the debate over the trade bill this spring, Heitkamp told McConnell she would vote for the package only if he promised a vote later on Ex-Im.
Heitkamp says she's spoken to lawmakers crafting the final transportation compromise and hopes to receive assurances from negotiators that the language concerning Israel does not "reopen the [larger] debate" over Ex-Im's future.
Democratic aides were confident this week that it would not derail the carefully crafted compromise on a long-term transportation bill and reauthorization of Ex-Im. Republicans said they were unsure what form the Israel language would take in the final legislation.
President Barack Obama has opposed inserting boycott, divestiture and sanctions language in legislation such as the trade bill. But Democratic aides doubted that the White House would block the transportation package and a renewal of the Ex-Im bank, both of which the president strongly favors, in order to make a point about the Middle East peace process.
White House aides did not have an immediate comment.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/export-import-bank-israel-palestinians-...