JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People

Reform movement condemns Iran’s actions

By Eric Fingerhut · November 30, 2009

The Reform movement says Iran's "ongoing defiance of international nuclear non-proliferation agreements is unacceptable" -- and that Iran's "obstinacy and its announcement of plans to build ten new uranium enrichment plants leave us with little faith that Iran is willing to productively negotiate with the global community."

In a statement, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism associate director Mark Pelavin also says that "targeted economic sanctions against, and divestment from, Iran augment our diplomatic efforts and are necesssary until there are signficant assurances that the government of Iran has ceased efforts to develop nuclear weapons capability."

The full statement is after the jump:

In response to the recent developments concerning Iran’s nuclear program, Mark Pelavin, Associate Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:

Iran’s ongoing defiance of international nuclear non-proliferation agreements is unacceptable. We welcome the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency’s adoption of a resolution calling upon the Iranian government to cease construction of its nuclear facility at Qum and to confirm that it is not building additional clandestine facilities. The IAEA resolution received support from 27 countries, including critical votes from Russia and China. We join the nations of the world in this definitive statement of international resolve to stem Iran’s nuclear threat.

Judaism demands that we “seek peace and pursue it” (Psalms 34:15), and Jewish rules on just warfare eschew weapons that would kill indiscriminately and create sustained and lasting damage to the environment. To that end, the Reform Movement has supported productive diplomatic engagement with Iran. Yet Iran’s obstinacy and its announcement of plans to build ten new uranium enrichment plants leave us with little faith that Iran is willing to productively negotiate with the global community.

The threat of a nuclear Iran remains a serious concern to the United States, Canada, Israel, and the international community. Targeted economic sanctions against, and divestment from, Iran augment our diplomatic efforts and are necessary until there are significant assurances that the government of Iran has ceased efforts to develop nuclear weapons capability. As we look to the new year, the world cannot afford to allow Iranian nuclear proliferation to continue unchecked.