J Street: UN should unite in condemnation of Ahmadinejad

J Street, which has gotten a lot of attention for preferring engagement with Iran opposing current efforts to impose further economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic, has put out a statement condemning Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the day of his speech to the UN General Assembly today.

"We urge the member nations of the United Nations to unite in condemnation of President Ahmadinejad, the fact that he considers his Holocaust denial a "source of pride," his vicious anti-Israel rhetoric, and his regime’s brutal repression of its own people’s human rights," said J Street executive director Jeremy Ben-Ami in a statement.

"The combination of a President with such vile views holding office and his regime’s possible pursuit of nuclear weapons makes it all the more important that the community of nations act in unison and with determination in expressing their condemnation and in holding Iran to stringent international standards on non-proliferation," he said.

The full statement is after the jump:[[READMORE]]

J Street Executive Director Jeremy Ben-Ami released the following statement as Iranian President Ahmadinejad prepares to address the United Nations General Assembly today:

In the strongest possible terms, J Street condemns the views and actions of the President of Iran and, in particular, his recent Holocaust denial and threats to Israel.  His virulent anti-Israel, anti-Semitic, Holocaust-denying rhetoric should have no place in the community of nations.  His regime’s actions in the wake of this summer’s elections were outrageous, revealing the true nature of the regime and its disdain for the democratic rights of the Iranian people.

We urge the member nations of the United Nations to unite in condemnation of President Ahmadinejad, the fact that he considers his Holocaust denial a "source of pride," his vicious anti-Israel rhetoric, and his regime’s brutal repression of its own people’s human rights.

The combination of a President with such vile views holding office and his regime’s possible pursuit of nuclear weapons makes it all the more important that the community of nations act in unison and with determination in expressing their condemnation and in holding Iran to stringent international standards on non-proliferation.

We support the Obama Administration’s efforts to bring the international community together to engage Iran diplomatically with a firm will and united front and to ensure that – should diplomacy not succeed – that firm steps, including further sanctions, are taken to ensure that this regime never obtains nuclear weapons.