Responding to planned passage by the House of Representatives of a resolution under the War Powers Act that would require termination of military hostilities against Iran, Rabbi Yaakov Menken, Managing Director of the Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), issued the following statement:

“Under ordinary circumstances, the balance of powers within the US government is a political matter that lies outside the purview of the CJV. Iran, however, is a rogue regime which has not only repeatedly threatened to destroy Israel, but has supported and initiated countless terror attacks against Jews, from sponsoring Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, to directing the bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires — the deadliest terror attack in Argentinian history.

“In recent days, Iran has threatened to escalate the conflict with strikes upon both Israel and Dubai. Notably, the resolution would permit a military response to defend the US military or US territories, but not to defend US allies. Were Iran to feel, rightly or wrongly, that Congress has tied the President’s hands at this crucial juncture, it might be emboldened to carry out those threats. So this resolution, passed at this time, would complicate the war on terror, put many lives at risk, and, in the CJV’s view, frustrate the Biblical vision of a just and moral world.”