ZOA President Morton A. Klein released the following statement: “The ZOA has criticized Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, for pressuring Israeli PM Netanyahu to cancel his critically important speech on Iran to a joint session of Congress. Jacobs said it was ‘ill advised’ for Netanyahu to speak. ADL’s Foxman and J St. have also demanded Netanyahu cancel. The ZOA also criticized the American Jewish Committee, and AIPAC and others for their deafening silence on the issue. Moreover the Jewish Daily Forward reported that ‘in private conversations, AIPAC has been trying to distance itself from the debate.’
The Iran issue is a serious and frightening existential issue for the Jewish State of Israel, and Iran is also a major threat to the US. And there is no time to waste. Iran is getting closer to a nuclear weapon which they’ve repeatedly said they would use against Israel and America. Iran’s supreme leader Khomeini has said ‘Israel is on the verge of extinction’, while the Iran Defense Ministry has said the US is the ‘great Satan and the number one enemy of Iran is the US.’ Iran President Rouhani has also repeatedly called for Israel’s destruction. (We must also remember that Rouhani was indicted by Argentina for the murder of 85 people at the Jewish Community Center there.) And all these proclamations continue to be made in the midst of these Iran P5+1 negotiations!
This is an existential issue for Israel that must be dealt with now – not in a year from now. Former Israeli PM Menachem Begin proclaimed the lessons of the Holocaust are, ‘First, if an enemy of our people says he seeks to destroy us, believe him. Don’t doubt him for a moment. Don’t make light of it. Do all in your power to deny him the means of carrying out his satanic intent. Second when a Jew anywhere in the world is threatened or under attack, do all in your power to come to his aid. Never pause to wonder what the world will think or say. The world will never pity slaughtered Jews. The world may not necessarily like the fighting Jew, but the world will have to take account of him. Third, a Jew must learn to defend himself. He must forever be prepared for whenever threat looms.’
We must never again be the Jews of appeasement and paralyzing fear. As Winston Churchill said, ‘Those who appease the crocodile will simply be eaten last.’ We must speak out with strength and pride. We must publicly state that President Obama is endangering America and Israel by his delaying and delaying on stopping Iran’s nuclear program. Iran continues to enrich uranium and to work on developing improved centrifuges while refusing to get rid of its uranium and its 19,000 centrifuge stockpile. Iran keeps working on its Arak plutonium facility and its Parchin military facility that where it likely keeps secretly working on its nuclear program. And it keeps working on its ICBM(Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) program whose only purpose is to carry a nuclear warhead which will be able to reach not only Israel and the West but our beloved country of America as well. Yet President Obama dawdles and fiddles, and defends Iran while Iran’s nuclear program progresses to the finish line,G-d forbid.
And President Obama repeatedly threatens to veto new sanctions against Iran even though they would be invoked only if there is no decent deal.
Why is President Obama more sympathetic to our enemy Iran than to our major ally, Israel and to the patriots in Congress? Why?
As Democratic Senator Menendez said, ‘The more I hear from the administration and its quotes, the more it sounds like talking points that come straight out of Tehran.’
Distinguished journalist Caroline Glick of the Jerusalem Post wrote, ‘Boehner didn’t invite Netanyahu because he cares about Israel’s election. He invited Netanyahu because he cares about US national security. He believes that by having Netanyahu speak on the issues of Iran’s nuclear program and radical Islam, he will advance America’s national security. Boehner’s chief concern, and that of the majority of his colleagues from the Democratic and Republican parties alike, is that President Barack Obama’s policy in regard to Iran’s nuclear weapons program imperils the US. Just as the invitation to Netanyahu was a bipartisan invitation, so concerns about Obama’s policy toward Iran’s nuclear program are bipartisan concerns.’
The United States Congress is discussing the Iran situation now. Prime Minister Netanyahu must speak now.
The ZOA is pleading with its colleagues to support Israeli PM Netanyahu, Democratic Senator Menendez, Majority Leader John Boehner, Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, Democratic Ranking member of the House Foreign Relations Committee Elliot Engel, and so many others to provide PM Netanyahu with this major forum to move us, to edify us, to inspire us to do more to stop this Nazi-like radical Islamic Republic of Iran from achieving weapons that could murder millions of Jews, Christians, Americans, Europeans and others.
By not supporting Israel’s Prime Minister and Congress, we are sending a terrible message to Iran that we are not unified and strong in our resolve against this deadly enemy.
We dare not act like the Jewish leaders of the 1930’s. The time to act to support the Prime Minister of Israel is now. It is a pro-America, pro-Israel patriotic act.”