Why Congress Must Support the Nuclear Agreement With Iran? - an article by Akbar Ganji and Richard Falk

Here is an article on nuclear deal on Iran by Akbar Ganji and Richard Falk, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories that got posted in the Huffington Post.

They write, "What should have been an occasion of diplomatic rejoicing has turned into an ugly partisan struggle over whether or not the international agreement negotiated with Iran will or will not be approved by the United States Government. The extremely troublesome obstruction to the agreement is centered in the U.S. Congress where anti-Obama Republicans are teaming up with pro-Netanyahu Democrats to create uncertainty as to whether the arrangments negotiated with such persistence by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council together with Germany will be undermined by this unprecedented leverage being exerted by Israel on the internal governmental processes in America. It should be appreciated that the agreement has been unanimously endorsed by a positive vote of all 15 members of the Security Council, a rarity in UN politics for an issue of this geopolitical magnitude."

Many world leaders are irate about the attitude of Israel and her friends (the 'Amen Corner' in the Capitol Hill). Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond observed: "Israel wants a permanent state of stand-off and I don't believe that's in the interests of the region. I don't believe it's in our interest."

Israel has used all the influence at its disposal to block approval, mobilizing rich ultra-Zionist donors in the U.S. to create a war chest of $20 milion and relying on AIPAC (American-Israel Public Affairs Committee) to twist enough legislative arms to override an expected Obama veto if the agreement is turned down by a majority in the two houses of Congress. This drive has been led by the ever belligerent Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
 
The authors opine, "A rejection of the agreement will raise serious questions about the capacity of this country to pursue a foreign policy that reflects its best interests and dominant values. It will also raise doubts about whether it is capable of constructive leadership in the Middle East and the world... For over 22 years Netanyahu has been "making" nuclear bombs for Iran, continuously claiming that Iran is only a short time away from having the bomb. The predictions have turned out to be false and inflammatory, but his desire and appetite for war with Iran seems only to have increased over time."


They conclude: "Moving forward from the agreement it is important to appreciate that peace is a common value envisioned and shared by Jews, Muslims, and Christians:

"They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore" (Isaiah 2:4).

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God"(Matthew 5:9).

"Making peace is the best" (an-Nissa 128) and "O, you who believe! Fulfill the promises and covenants made [by you]" (al-Maidah 1).

For too long these shared values, deeply embedded in the worldviews of these civilizational perspectives, have been ignored, even repudiated. The nuclear agreement with Iran creates the opportunity to move the flow of history in better directions. Such an opportunity must not be lost. If lost, the United States and Israel would be morally, politically, and legally responsible for whatever harm befalls the region and the world."