Two Leading Jewish Dems Pull Support for Iran Sanctions Resolution

By Nathan Guttman - Jewish Daily Forward
Wednesday, July 16, 2008 - Web Link
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July 15, 2008

Two senior Jewish congressmen are distancing themselves from a resolution calling for tougher sanctions against Iran, arguing that the bill would send an unnecessarily bellicose message to Tehran.

Democratic Reps. Robert Wexler of Florida and Barney Frank of Massachusetts pulled their support — Wexler on July 9, and Frank a week earlier — from a congressional resolution that called for increasing inspections on all sea and air traffic in and out of Iran, among other measures. The bill has been targeted by a coalition of progressive groups that give an argument that the measure is pushing for a de facto blockade on Iran that may lead to war.

Jewish lawmakers and communal leaders have been treading a thin line on the issue of Iran’s nuclear program, as they have been upfront in warning about Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Jewish groups and members of Congress, however, have gone out of their way to avoid being seen as promoting war or military action against Tehran.

“It’s a little trickier for the Jewish community, because there is a school of thought that believes the community bears disproportionate responsibility for the war in Iraq,” said Mark Pelavin, associate director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. “The fact that this claim is out there makes people be more measured this time around.”

Israeli diplomats and policymakers have expressed a similar concern. Over the past year they have repeatedly stressed that Iran is a threat to the entire Middle East, and that dealing with Tehran should be a task for the entire world and not just the Jewish state.