New York, NY. . . Stephen M. Greenberg, Chairman and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations issued the following statement:
“We welcome the overwhelming bipartisan majorities in the U.S. House of Representatives supporting adoption of a package of legislation expanding and strengthening sanctions against Iran for its ongoing development of ballistic missile capabilities and against Iran’s terrorist proxy Hezbollah for its increasingly threatening and deadly activities on Israel’s northern border. By focusing solely on the dangerous and destabilizing actions of Iran and the terrorist proxies it supports, the legislation provides the U.S. with enhanced tools to deter these activities. The legislation also creates a path for America’s allies and partners to join the effort to curtail Iran’s quest to dominate the region through the use of sophisticated conventional weapons systems and continued financial, technical and material support for Hezbollah and other terrorist groups.
The Iran Ballistic Missiles and International Sanctions Enforcement Act, passed today by a vote of 423-2, is an important step toward ending Iran’s ability to fund the development of ballistic missiles designed to carry nuclear armed war heads. The two bills addressing the terrorist activities of Hezbollah and the resolution urging the EU to implement sanctions against terrorists affiliated with Hezbollah and to designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization, were adopted by voice vote. The measures directly target the suppliers of weapons to Hezbollah, the sources of its fundraising and recruiting, its illicit criminal activities around the world, and added sanctions for the barbaric use of civilians as human shields.
This package of additional sanctions will equip the Trump administration with more effective measures to thwart Iran’s hegemonic ambitions in the Middle East and new tools to garner support from U.S. allies and partners in the effort to restore stability to the region.
We applaud the leadership of House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) and Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-NY) for their ongoing efforts to encourage and build bipartisan support for this legislative package and to Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) and the bipartisan co-sponsors of the bills they proposed.
We hope the Senate will adopt similar measures so there can be rapid implementation of the legislation.”
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