Joint Statement on the Iran Nuclear Agreement
Jewish Community Relations Council, San Francisco-based Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund, Jewish Federation and Jewish Community Foundation of the East Bay, and Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley
San Francisco, CA – With the announcement today of an agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear program, the local and national Jewish community is closely reviewing the details of the “Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action” that was reached between the P5+1 countries – the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, China and Russia – and Iran. It has long been our position that Iran must be prevented from becoming a nuclear threshold state, which could not only threaten Israel’s existence, but destabilize the Middle East and trigger a nuclear arms race. We believe that the preferred solution to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program is a diplomatic one, and we acknowledge the tireless efforts of President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry and the entire U.S. negotiating team in reaching an agreement.
The agreement has raised cautious hope as well as deep concern. Any Iranian nuclear weapons capability would pose a major threat to American interests, an existential threat to Israel and its western allies, and create grave security risks worldwide.
We reiterate the vital importance of strong American-Israel relations at this critical time. There is certain to be fervent debate, particularly when the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 is invoked and the agreement is brought before Congress. There are legitimate, substantive areas of disagreement between the United States and Israel on the Iran agreement, and these should not be used to undermine the U.S.-Israel relationship or bipartisan support for Israel. Our hope is that civility, restraint and reasoned discourse will prevail. We urge members of the Bay Area Jewish community to remain involved in the important Congressional review period by expressing their opinions to our elected representatives.
A key test of Iran’s true ambitions will be whether it stops its support of global terrorism, its demonizing of the United States, and its threats against Israel’s sovereignty. We urge the administration to continue to work tirelessly to address these ongoing concerns.
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