Statement from APN President and CEO Debra DeLee:

“We welcome the framework agreement reached yesterday between the P5 +1 countries and Iran to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.  We congratulate President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry, and their team of experts and negotiators on this achievement. The initial success of this intense and prolonged diplomatic effort demonstrates that when there is sufficient political will, negotiations can work, and can walk the world back from the brink of war.

“Anyone who is concerned about the possibility of a nuclear-armed Iran should view this agreement as a source of encouragement.  The understanding reached between the parties sets out in high resolution the parameters of a final agreement to be reached in the coming months, the implementation of which will make Israel, the region and the world more secure by verifiably rolling back Iran’s nuclear program and strictly limiting this program in the future.

APN today issued the following statement regarding the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s passage of S. 615, amended:

APN has long opposed and continues to oppose any initiative in Congress that could undermine ongoing Iran negotiations or threaten the achievement and implementation of an agreement that could prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. We have also long pointed out that even without a single new piece of legislation, the kind of substantial, long-term sanctions relief that will be central to the success of any Iran nuclear deal cannot be achieved without the active support and cooperation of Congress – giving Congress an automatic and critical role in overseeing and implementing any Iran deal.

Washington, DC – APN Today released the following statement regarding pro-settlements legislation in the House and Senate:

“As a pro-Israel, pro-peace organization and the sister organization to Shalom Achshav (Peace Now), Israel’s veteran grassroots, Zionist peace movement, Americans for Peace Now (APN) rejects and condemns efforts in Congress, backed by AIPAC, to legislate U.S. support for Israeli settlements. We urge Congress to recognize the danger and folly of this approach and to hold firm in its well-established support for Israel and its equally well-established refusal to endorse Israeli settlements – and to reject HR 825 and efforts to pass similar language in the Senate.