Re: Iran agreement 2

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It is important for the safety of Israel and the world to pass the Iran deal. No achievable alternative has been proposed, and the current sanctions will fall apart if the deal is rejected. We should listen to former top officials of the Israeli security services and military – men like former Mossad Chief Efraim Halevy and former Shin Bet director Ami Ayalon. They know that Iran is a “bad guy.”

However, they still believe this deal makes Israel safer. Why? Because under it, Iran will not be able to develop a nuclear weapon for at least 15 years and probably much longer. “In the Middle East, 10 to 15 years is an eternity,” Ayalon said in an interview with the Forward. “And I don’t believe that 10 or 15 years from now the world will stand by and watch Iran acquire nuclear weapons.”

 I am haunted by the thought that without the deal, Iran can have a nuclear weapon within a year.

The American Jewish community is struggling with this issue. Millions of dollars are being spent by both sides to lobby Congress.  A recent survey conducted by an independent, nonprofit company shows that 49 percent of American Jews support the deal with Iran, while 31 percent oppose it. The same survey revealed that 53 percent believe Congress should approve the measure.

I am in that 53 percent, and my thinking has been buttressed by articles in the New York Times and The Washington Post. They are “must reads.”  You can find them online:

Thomas Friedman, “If I Were an Israeli,” New York Times. Aug. 12, 2015.

Fareed Zakaria, “The Real Gamblers on Iran,” The Washington Post. July 23, 2015.

Eleanor L. Lewis

Providence