The most influential American pro-Israel Jewish groups are backing the Obama administration’s call for military action in Syria, as the Congress is to vote next week on authorizing such action.
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations said that the use of chemical weapons by Syria ‘’represents moral challenges that require a strong response.’’ ‘’It also poses vital national security concerns to the US and to our interests and to those of our allies in the region,
‘’Those who perpetuate such acts of wanton murder must know that they can not do so with impunity. Those who possess or seek weapons of mass destruction, particularly Iran and Hezbollah, must see that there is accountabilit,’’ said the conference Chairman Robert G.Sugerman and Executive Vice Chairman Malcom Hoenlein in a statement.
‘’Failing to take action would damage the credibility of the US and negatively impact the effort to prevent Iran from achieving a nuclear weapons capacity,’’ the added.
They expressed the hope tha ‘’there will be a national consensus that will send a strong bipartisan message to our friends and foes alike of America’s determination to prevent the proliferation and use of weapons of mass destruction.’’
In a statement, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) called in a on Congress to "support the president's effort to protect American security interests" and "dissuade the Syrian regime's further use of unconventional weapons."
"The civilized world cannot tolerate the use of these barbaric weapons, particularly against an innocent civilian population including hundreds of children," AIPAC said in the statement signed by its President, Michael Kassen, and Chief Executive, Howard Kohr.
"America must also send a forceful message of resolve to Iran and Hezbollah - both of whom have provided direct and extensive military support to Assad," they added.
Abraham H. Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), participated in a call organized by the Conference of Presidents on Tuesday and said there was a clear consensus to step forward.
“To see innocent people being gassed invokes that special historical memory and sensitivity,” he said. “And when the president says it is in the national security interests of our country to stand up against such heinous violations of international norms, I think both things play very strongly in the psyche of the Jewish community.”
The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) explicitely invoked the Holocaust in a letter to lawmakers, noting that US and British officials did not respond when they were alerted in 1942 that the Nazis planned to use gas to kill Jews.
“This isn’t a Jewish issue, this is a humanitarian issue,” said Rabbi Marvin Hier, the center’s founder and dean.