Dear Congressman Lieu,
We students at UCLA acknowledge the work that you have done as Congressman of California’s 33rd District. As Jewish student leaders, we are especially grateful for your willingness to stand up for our community. In addition to commending you for your opposition to the Iranian nuclear deal, which endangers the national security of countries worldwide, we applaud your decision to vote in favor of resolutions that will help to strengthen Israel, the premier democracy in the Middle East and one of America’s closest allies. Your sponsorship of a bill which arose this past December, and recognized the importance of an economic relationship between America and Israel, makes us proud to call you our congressman.
Going forward, we would like to discuss some issues that we are concerned about regarding Israel’s safety. The recent wave of violence in Israel has claimed the lives of twenty-five citizens since October, including a mother of six children who was murdered in front of them just last week. Attacks such as these leave permanent and traumatic marks on the psyches of Israelis nationwide. As the legislative body of Israel’s staunchest ally, the U.S. Congress must support efforts to protect Israel’s citizens. We view you as the ideal representative to spearhead an initiative that would help to stop the uprising of further terror.
We are currently concerned about the lifting of Iranian nuclear sanctions and the release of over $100 billion in frozen assets to the Iranian government. This money could potentially be used to fund global terrorism. Even Secretary of State, John Kerry, has admitted this possibility. Iran has the capability to use this money to sponsor Hezbollah and Hamas, the two terrorist groups bordering Israel’s north and west borders, respectively. We ask that you please initiate legislation that will stop the release of this money until there is viable proof that Iran will use the funds for non-terrorist purposes.
Thank you for your time and your ardent support.
Best regards,
Sepehr Hakakian, Jasmin Boodaie, and Rebecca Zaghi.
