Seek peace and pursue it...
(Psalms 34:15)
There is great concern worldwide that Iran continues to defy multilateral sanctions and diplomatic pressure by continuing to pursue its program of uranium enrichment, the first step in the production of nuclear weapons. Iran's nuclear technology program and support of terrorist groups threaten the safety of Israel, the stability of the Middle East, and the peace of the world.
The Bush administration up to now has concentrated on multilateral sanctions and diplomatic pressure. The United Nations Security Council in its resolutions (1737 and 1747) has banned trade with and frozen the assets of Iran's nuclear and related entities. For the most part security and Middle East experts have urged the world community to exhaust all methods of persuasion before considering a direct military confrontation with Iran.
The immediacy of this nuclear threat has prompted Congress and state legislatures to consider divestment and other economic actions. On July 31, 2007, the House of Representatives passed the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2007, a bill that would empower state and local governments to call for divestiture from, and prevent investment in, companies with investments of $20 million or more in Iran’s energy sector. A companion bill is currently in the Senate. Bills have also been introduced in the legislatures of California, Missouri, Florida, and New Jersey seeking to ban investment in Iran's oil and natural gas infrastructure.
In response to the crisis presented by Iran’s pursuit of uranium enrichment and based on many previous resolutions calling for peace, disarmament, and reduction of nuclear arms, Women of Reform Judaism calls on its sisterhoods in the United States and Canada to: educate their members to the issues; alert their elected officials of their deep concern; and to support targeted divestment and other economic actions to cut off funds that Iran is using to develop nuclear power. We do so in the hope that such economic sanctions, targeted to limit unintended consequences on the people of Iran, in combination with multilateral diplomatic efforts will bring about change in the policies of Iran