Speaking before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the largest U.S.pro-Israel lobby, Menendez (D-N.J.) cited Iran’s recent tests of ballistic missiles, some marked “Israel must be wiped off the Earth”, as he called for legislation imposing new restrictions on the country, such as limiting when banking sanctions could be lifted.
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“As the Jewish people know better than any other people, any action that marginalizes one religious or ethnic group imperils us all”, Biden said to loud applause from the crowd of more than 18,000.
“There is no political will among Israelis or Palestinians to move forward with serious negotiations…that is seriously disappointing”, he said.
“I think it was a awful deal”.
He said the United States needs to shore up its alliance with Israel, which includes countering Iran’s “aggression in Lebanon, in Yemen and in Syria”.
United States banks are still largely forbidden from doing business with Iran, which wouldn’t in and of itself be a big deal since Iran’s deals are mostly with European and Asian companies anyhow, but global banks not based in the USA are still fearing U.S. punishment for processing the deals. The U.S. will act. He began by discussing the controversial Iran deal, which was still being negotiated during last year’s conference.
The vice president’s remarks come at time of heightened tensions between the Obama administration and the Israeli government.
Sen. Menendez, the former top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations, said: “So long as I have a voice and a vote, I will not yield to those who wish to break my resolve on stopping Iran’s illicit nuclear program”.
“Clearly, Iran will never change”, Menendez said.
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Menendez said the agreement, which called on Iran to dramatically reduce efforts to develop nuclear energy in exchange for relaxation of economic sanctions that had crippled its economy, resulted in a windfall as Iran continues to support terrorist groups in multiple countries and test ballistic missiles.
