Massive Persuasion Iran sanctions figure large in AIPAC lobbying. Ron Kampeas Jewish Telegraphic Agency Washington, D.C. A s 7,500 AIPAC activists ascend- ed Capitol Hill this week, they pushed a multifaceted agenda with a clear bottom line: It's the sanctions. Some new wrinkles in the lobbying blitz that traditionally follows the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy forum deal with the role of Arab nations in advancing Israel-Arab peace and with securing a pledged increase in U.S. assistance to Israel. But the most dramatic advance is in a proposal to cut off refined petroleum exports to Iran, hitting 40 percent of that country's gas market. AIPAC has led the way since the mid- 1990s in advocating for sanctions aimed at crippling the Iranian economy until the Islamic Republic ends its suspected nuclear weapons program. In recent years, the notion of sanctioning Iran has gained traction, with the U.N. Security Council imposing three sets of sanctions in the past 18 months. Still, the sanctions have apparently had little effect: U.N. nuclear weapons inspec- tors last month delivered a blistering report saying that Iran was taking steps to hide its weapons program. In addition, inspectors say they have evidence suggest- ing that some elements of the Iranian pro- gram were military and not peaceful — in sharp contrast to Tehran's claims. After two days of sessions heavily weighted toward considering the possibil- ity of a nuclear threat, 5,000 of the activ- ists headed to 500 meetings on the Hill armed with talking points for a bill that has languished in the U.S. Senate since it passed overwhelmingly in the House of Representatives last year. The Iran Counter Proliferation Act would expand existing sanctions by hit- ting companies and nations that deal with Iran's energy sector. It also would cut off Iran entirely from the U.S. finance system. Bolstering that bill is a nonbinding reso- lution put forward last week by U.S. Reps. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., and Mike Pence, R-Ind. The resolution urges President Bush to immediately impose some of the sanctions in the Counter Proliferation Act and adds the new proposal: Cut off the export of refined petroleum to Iran. "Despite sitting on some of the largest oil reserves in the world, Iran has been forced to import 40 percent of its refined petroleum — gasoline and diesel — because of a lack of investment in its oil refining infrastructure states the memo prepared for AIPAC activists. "Limiting Iran's ability to import gaso- line will severely impact Iran's economy and could lead to dramatically greater domestic pressure on the regime to change course!" The language of the congressional reso- lution is sensitive to the political realities of a presidential campaign that has made the possibility of war against Iran a parti- san issue: It explicitly counts out military action — a point hammered home in the AIPAC talking points. "The resolution specifically states that nothing in the resolution shall be con- strued to be an authorization for military action," the sheet says. "In fact, the sanc- tions called for in H. Con. Res. 362 are the best way to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear capability by avoiding military action!' Additionally, the action part of the reso- lution opens by declaring "that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability, through all appropriate eco- nomic, political and diplomatic means is vital to the national security interests of the United States and must be dealt with urgently" Notably absent from AIPAC's talking points is any mention of military force — a prospect that spooks Democrats and would discomfit an organization that prides itself on its bipartisanship. The proposal falls just shy of reported suggestions from Israel's government that the United States and Britain blockade Iran's ports to keep out refined petroleum. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reportedly brought up the proposal in con- versations last month with U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the House speaker. Olmert and Pelosi addressed the AIPAC conference. AIPAC in its talking points is generally careful to hew to areas where Democrats and Republicans agree when it comes to Iran. However, some of the language would appear to clash with specific policies asso- ciated with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, the likely Democratic presidential nomi- nee who also addressed the conference. "Entering into a dialogue before Iran has complied with U.N. resolutions and suspended its uranium enrichment could undermine Security Council decisions and allow Tehran to use the dialogue as a way to continue advancing its nuclear pro- gram," the AIPAC memo states. "Iran used previous talks with the European Union to make significant advances in its nuclear program while staving off international sanctions." That hardly jibes with Obama's support for dialogue backed up by what he calls tough diplomacy. Furthermore, in conference literature AIPAC proudly touts support in both the House and Senate for language declaring the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps a terrorist group. Obama was not present for that vote, but said he would would have opposed the measure, a position favored by many liberal Democratic activists. Obama's main Democratic rival in the primaries, U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., backed the language. Also on the lobbying agenda was Bush's proposal to increase U.S. assistance to Israel from an average of $2.4 billion to $3 billion annually. Letters circulating in both chambers of Congress urge the president to continue his efforts to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The letters, initiated in the House by its leaders, and in the Senate by Mary Landrieu, R-La., and Susan Collins, R- Maine, do not mention recent backing by Bush and Congress for increased U.S. finan- cial and political support for Palestinian moderates. Instead they decry the alleged lack of such support from Arab nations. "We anticipated more from nations that have claimed reaching such an agreement is one of their top priorities:' the letters say. "We struggle to understand why those Arab states that are flush with oil revenues cannot provide meaningful financial assis- tance to the Palestinian Authority" The emphasis underscores a tone throughout AIPAC's materials that sug- gested a skepticism about the peace pro- cess. The talking points pose a question: "Can a peace agreement still be reached this year?" Its answer is hardly committal: "Israel and the Palestinians have both made clear that any agreement reached will be subject to the implementation of the first phase of the 'road map.' In Israeli eyes, this must include an end to violence and the dismantling of the terrorist infra- structure!' ❑ Rice Pushes For Palestinian State Washington, D.C. U S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, at the annual AIPAC policy conference Tuesday, stressed the urgency of establish- ing a Palestinian state. "The expansion of violence in the Middle East makes the establishment of a peaceful Palestinian state more urgent, not less',' she said at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference in Washington, D.C. A22 June 5 • 2008 The conference ran June 2-4. "The present opportunity is not per- fect by any means, but it is better than any other in recent years and we need to seize it, " Rice said. "Israelis have waited too long for the security they desire and deserve, and Palestinians have waited too long amidst daily humiliations for the dig- nity of a Palestinian state!' Rice's remarks were greeted with silence. AIPAC has been among the lead- ing skeptics of the current Palestinian leadership's abilities to control terrorism should a state be established. Rice also said the Palestinian track should take pre-eminence over recently renewed Israel-Syria talks. "We do appreciate the effort that our ally Turkey is making toward a peace between Israel and Syria," she said. "The key is to pursuing all paths to peace while maintaining focus on the Palestinian track because it is the most advanced." ❑ Rice addresses AIPAC delegates.