Nearly 1000 Rabbis Against Peace and Stability

– Rabbis Against Peace and Stability (Steve Lendman Blog):

by Stephen Lendman

Hundreds of US rabbis (nearly 1,000 as of August 27) signed an open letter – urging Congress to reject the Iran nuclear deal, reducing chances for greater Middle East war if approved, saying:

“We, the undersigned rabbis, write as a unified voice across religious denominations to express our concerns with the proposed nuclear agreement with Iran.”

“We have weighed the various implications of supporting – or opposing – this agreement. Together, we are deeply troubled by the proposed deal, and believe this agreement will harm the short-term and longterm interests of both the United States and our allies, particularly Israel.”

“Even after flooding Iran with an influx of funds, this deal will not subject Iran to an airtight, comprehensive inspections structure – granting the regime the means to violate the agreement and develop a covert nuclear program.”

“The deal would also lift key arms embargoes, so that in eight years Iran will be given international legitimacy to arm terror groups with conventional weapons and ballistic missiles.”

Fact: Iran’s nuclear program fully complies with Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty provisions.

Fact: Israel is an NPT scofflaw – the only regional nuclear armed and dangerous country.

Fact: No evidence suggests Iran wants nuclear weapons. Plenty indicates otherwise.

Fact: US-led imposed sanctions are illegal. No nation unilaterally or with others can impose them. Security council members have sole authority. Their’s are the only ones in conformance with international law – no matter how wrongheaded.

Fact: Iran threatens no other nations. Nor does it foster regional terrorism. Claims otherwise are Big Fat Lies.

Fact: America and Israel are the region’s leading aggressors – waging endless wars against nations threatening no others.

Rabbis against the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) endorse continued regional conflict, not peace and stability. They ignore the 10 Commandments principle stating: “You shall not murder.”

Iran hasn’t attacked another country in centuries or threatened any. America and Israel partner in endless wars – mass murdering for wealth and power.

In contrast, 340 US rabbis called on Congress to support JCPOC. Their letter said the following:

“As rabbis, we support the agreement between the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, China, Russia and Iran – The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. We encourage the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives to endorse this agreement.”

“The Obama administration has successfully brought together the major international powers to confront Iran over its nuclear ambitions. The broad international sanctions moved Iran to enter this historic agreement.”

“Should this agreement be rejected by the US Congress, those sanctions will end. There will be no new negotiations, as the other member countries are fully in favor of this agreement and have no desire to re-negotiate.”

“We understand that while this agreement blocks Iran’s path to a nuclear bomb, we recognize it does not deal with Iran’s support for terror, but that was never the purpose of these talks.”

“Now that a nuclear agreement has been reached, we call on the United States and its international partners to strengthen their resolve and dedicate additional resources to confront Iranian threats to Israel and other states.”

“Most especially, we are deeply concerned with the impression that the leadership of the American Jewish community is united in opposition to the agreement. We, along with many other Jewish leaders, fully support this historic nuclear accord.”

Even rabbis on the right side of this issue have wrongheaded ideas – as revealed in their comments above.

They should direct their energies to confronting US and Israeli high crimes – not victims of their hegemonic agenda, threatening world peace and security.