1.  BILLS AND RESOLUTIONS
 
(IRAN) S. Res. 71: Introduced 3/9/09 by Sen. Wyden (D-OR) and currently having 17 cosponsors, "A resolution condemning the Government of Iran for its state-sponsored persecution of the Baha'i minority in Iran and its continued violation of the International Covenants on Human Rights."  12/1/2009 Passed/agreed to in Senate (with an amendment and an amended preamble) by Unanimous Consent. 
 
2.  IRPSA on the House Floor in Two Weeks
 
It has been confirmed that HR 2194, the Iran Refined Petroleum sanctions Act (IRPSA), will come to the House floor for a vote soon.   Speaking on the House floor 12/3/09, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) confirmed that "Iran sanctions will be...on the Suspension Calendar the week after next."  Since the bill is being brought to the floor under suspension of the rules, this means no amendments will be permitted and debate will be strictly limited.
 
As reported previously in the Round-Up, HR 2194 was marked up in the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on 10/28/09.  It was formally reported out of committee (with significant amendments) on 11/19/09.  On that same day the other three committees with jurisdiction over the bill - the Committees on Financial Services, Government Oversight, and Ways and Means - were granted an extension for further consideration of the bill "ending no later than Dec. 4, 2009".  That extension has now expired and apparently will not be extended, meaning that the committees will discharge the bill without further consideration (paving the way for the bill to move directly to the floor).
 
For reporting on this decision, see Politico.  For some excellent (and heavily hot-linked) analysis of the decision, see ThinkProgress's Wonkroom.
 
APN strongly opposes HR 2194 and will be urging members to oppose the legislation (as noted above, given the decision to bring it to the floor under suspension of the rules, there is no opportunity to press for amendments).  For background on APN's position on the bill, see here.
 
3.  Ros-Lehtinen (and Sherman) Bravely Defend Israel Aid... from ZERO threat
 
In perhaps the most ridiculous grandstanding on Israel witnessed to date in the 111th Congress, on 11/30/09 Rep. Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), the ranking minority member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, joined by Rep. Sherman (D-CA) circulated a Dear Colleague headlined "Keep America Safe: Sign Letter to the President Supporting Continued Security Assistance to Israel."  The Dear Colleague urges members to sign a letter to President Obama defending Israel's aid program and full funding of the amount agreed to in the US-Israel Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) - the implication being that the Obama Administration is actually considering attacking this aid and Congress (led by a concerned Republican member) must defend it. 
 
For those who would argue that this is business as usual, they would do well to note that not only is the content of the letter disconnected from reality, but the timing of the letter is nonsensical:  the President's FY10 budget was submitted to Congress on May 7th, and it includes (as Ros-Lehtinen must know) a request for the full funding for Israel as stipulated in the MOU ($2.775 billion) - and both the House and Senate versions of the FY10 ForOps bills (HR H3081 and S1434) fully fund the request. 
 
The full text of the Dear Colleague and accompanying letter are available on the APN blog.
 
4.  Lebanon/Iran Dear Colleague
 
Last week Reps. Kirk (R-IL) and Israel (D-NY) circulated a Dear Colleague seeking cosigners on a letter to Secretary Clinton regarding Lebanon.  As of the Dec. 2 version of the Dear Colleague (circulated the day the letter was due to close) the letter reportedly had 25 cosigners.  The Dear Colleague (which highlights the fact that is endorsed by AIPAC), states:
 
"According to the Washington Post, a top Iranian nuclear official announced the country's decision to build 10 more uranium-enrichment sites bunkered under mountains in a direct response to last week's censure by the International Atomic Energy Agency.  As talks with Iran appear to be failing, we are concerned the Iranian regime may seek to divert international attention by ordering its Hezbollah terrorist proxy in Southern Lebanon to trigger a regional conflict.  In August 2006, as Israeli forces worked to clear Southern Lebanon of Iranian weapons used by Hezbollah terrorists to attack Israeli cities, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 1701, which called for the disarmament of Hezbollah and the deployment of Lebanese soldiers and an enlarged United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) force in southern Lebanon.  More than three years later, the situation is getting worse. According to news reports and statements by the United Nations, Hezbollah has fully re-armed and cross-border attacks have increased in frequency.  Join us in signing the sign-on letter (below) to the State Department calling for U.S. leadership in disarming Hezbollah and clearing Southern Lebanon of Iranian weapons."
 
The letter to Clinton closes with the following: "For Fiscal Year 2010, your Administration requested $210 million for UNIFIL and $100 million in military assistance for the Government of Lebanon. For that much money, American taxpayers deserve to see results. Given the potential for an Iran-backed escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli border, the United States must use existing resources to counter this threat. In light of the clear violations of UN Security Council resolutions, we ask what actions the Administration is taking to ensure the U.N. addresses these violations. We must seek to support stronger multilateral efforts to disarm Hezbollah and clear Southern Lebanon of Iranian weapons."
 
Americans for Peace Now promotes Israeli security through the peace process and supports the Israeli Peace Now movement.   For more information, visit the APN website at or contact Lara Friedman, APN Director of Policy and Government Relations, at 202/408-9898, or at lfriedman@peacenow.org.