1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Partnership Fund for Peace Act of 2019 . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Economic development in conflict settings has been shown to support stabilization by empowering entrepreneurs, growing the middle class, and mitigating unemployment. (2) In 2018, unemployment in the Palestinian territories was 32.4 percent, reaching 53.7 percent in Gaza and 18 percent in the West Bank. GDP growth in the Palestinian territories declined from 2.7 percent in 2017 to 2 percent in 2018, and it is projected to further decline to between 1.7 and 1.9 percent in 2019 and 2020. (3) Increased economic activity and projects to improve the quality and conditions of life for the Palestinians will help create a viable Palestinian economy. (4) Although economic development is an important tool for stabilizing conflict-prone settings and establishing connections between communities, economic development by itself will not lead to lasting peace. People-to-people peacebuilding programs further advance reconciliation efforts by promoting greater understanding, mutual trust, and cooperation between communities. (5) While the United States and its international allies continue to support diplomatic and political negotiations between the representatives of the parties to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, such efforts require broad popular support among the people on the ground to succeed. (6) Achieving sustainable, high-level agreements for lasting peace in the Middle East must come through, and with the support of, the people who live there. (7) Economic initiatives and people-to-people peacebuilding programs can help millions of ordinary Israelis and Palestinians affected by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. 3. Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) building a viable Palestinian economy is central to the effort to preserve the possibility of a 2-state solution