I am thrilled for the Americans who will soon be reunited with their families after so many years. As the author of the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act (2020), I welcomed the sanctions leveled by the Administration against Ahmadinejad who notoriously oversaw the political hostage-taking of many Americans and foreign nationals, including my former constituent Robert Levinson, who went missing in Iran in 2007. Iran has still not accounted for Bob’s disappearance and tragic passing. The Levinson family deserves this justice.
Press Releases and Statements
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AJC CEO Ted Deutch on Today's Announcement on Wrongfully Detained Americans in Iran
I am encouraged by the news that five Americans whose lives, and whose families’ lives, have been upended by Iran’s longstanding callous practice of political hostage-taking and wrongfully detaining foreign nationals for use as bargaining chips, are closer than ever before to coming home as a result of the agreement announced today.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Calls for More Action Against IRGC, Warns Iran Must Be Kept In Check To Thwart Nuclear Ambitions and Aiding Russia in Ukraine
Today at AJC Global Forum 2023, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said her nation stands with Israel in stemming the threat posed by Iran’s growing nuclear capability and promised her country would do its part to keep Iran’s nuclear ambitions in check.
AJC Urges U.S. to Lead Efforts to Convene UN Human Rights Council Special Session on Iran Human Rights Abuses
American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch, in a letter to President Biden, has urged the United States to mobilize the international community to convene a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council to address the Iranian regime’s deadly crackdown on peaceful protesters. AJC also launched today an online campaign, AJC.org/StopIranAbuses, encouraging individuals to sign a petition calling on the White House to take action detailed in Deutch’s letter to the president
AJC Praises Court Ruling Upholding Arkansas Anti-BDS Law
A federal court ruled that an anti-BDS law that required companies doing business with the state of Arkansas to sign a pledge not to boycott Israel was constitutional.
American Jewish Committee Presents Moral Courage Award to Masih Alinejad, Prominent Opponent of Iranian Regime
Masih Alinejad, one of the most outspoken opponents of the Islamic regime in Tehran, was honored today by American Jewish Committee (AJC) with the global advocacy organization’s Moral Courage Award. AJC honored Alinejad for her “moral, intellectual, and physical courage, extraordinary bravery, and commitment to the protection of human rights.”
AJC Praises New York Decision to Disinvest in Unilever for Ben & Jerry’s Boycott of Israel
American Jewish Committee praised New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s decision to pull pension fund investments out of Unilever, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s. The ice cream maker announced in July that it would cease selling its products in the West Bank. “Comptroller DiNapoli has demonstrated that boycotting Israel has consequences,” said Marc Stern, AJC Chief Legal Officer. “Unilever’s failure to undo Ben & Jerry’s misguided decision to stop selling its ice cream in the West Bank contravenes state government laws across the United States.”
AJC Applauds New Jersey Treasury Department Action on Ben & Jerry’s
American Jewish Committee (AJC) applauds the preliminary determination by the New Jersey Department of Treasury’s Division of Investment that Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company, Unilever, have engaged in a boycott of Israel. Under New Jersey’s 2016 law on Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS), state pension funds must divest from investments in any business that engages in boycotts of Israel.
AJC Applauds Burlington City Council for Rejecting Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Resolution
American Jewish Committee (AJC), the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, applauds the Burlington City Council’s decision to withdraw a non-binding resolution supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel. The resolution will be sent back to the Council’s Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee for further discussion.
American Jewish Committee Applauds Ben & Jerry’s U.S. Franchisees Letter of Concerns
Ben and Jerry’s franchisees in the United States are calling on the company to “re-examine and withdraw” its decision to stop selling its ice cream in the West Bank and its threat to discontinue operations in Israel. American Jewish Committee Chief Legal Officer Marc D. Stern praised the franchisees for their honesty and passion in directly communicating their concerns.
Bahrain Foreign Minister Addresses AJC Global Forum on Arab-Israel Peace, Iran Threat
His Excellency Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, addressed a worldwide audience of thousands participating in the 2021 American Jewish Committee Virtual Global Forum. In a conversation with Jason Isaacson, AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer, the foreign minister discussed the historic Abraham Accords, Bahrain-U.S. relations, and the Iranian threat.
AJC Applauds Cambridge City Council for Voting Down Boycott, Divestment, Sanction Resolution
American Jewish Committee (AJC) applauds the Cambridge City Council’s rejection tonight of a resolution supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel and Hewlett Packard (HP).
AJC Dismayed By Court Ruling On Arkansas BDS Statute
American Jewish Committee (AJC) is disappointed by today’s United States Court of Appeals for Eighth Circuit decision in Arkansas Times v. Waldrip.
AJC Commends Governor Mike Parson for Signing Anti-BDS Bill into Law
“This law is about trade not politics, and it has the potential to create jobs and economic growth for Missourians, Palestinians and Israelis,” said American Jewish Committee (AJC) St. Louis Director Nancy Lisker. “We are grateful for the leadership of Governor Parson and for the dogged determination of its lead sponsors, Senator Dr. Bob Onder and Representative Holly Rehder, for championing this important legislation.”
AJC Applauds Missouri Legislature Passage of Anti-BDS Bill
American Jewish Committee (AJC) applauds the Missouri Legislature for overwhelmingly passing today SB 739, the "Anti-Discrimination Against Israel Act."
AJC Deplores UN Blacklisting Firms Active in West Bank
“The world body’s endless hypocrisy and double standards toward Israel are staggering,” said AJC CEO David Harris. “Of all the situations in the world in which territory is disputed, the UN chooses only to focus on Israel. Why? We call on Secretary General Guterres to denounce this outrageous assault on the Jewish state.
AJC Applauds South Dakota Executive Order Banning Boycotts of Israel
AJC commends South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem for signing an executive order prohibiting state offices from doing business with companies that boycott Israel.
AJC Urges Appellate Court to Uphold Texas Law Against BDS
American Jewish Committee (AJC) is urging the United States Court of Appeals to uphold a Texas law that bars the state from engaging the services of contractors involved in boycotts of Israeli products and services.
AJC Brief Urges Federal Court to Uphold Arkansas Anti-BDS Law
AJC is urging a federal appellate court to affirm a lower court ruling that the Arkansas Times has no grounds in challenging the validity of a two-year old statute barring state government contractors from engaging in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
Mithal al-Alusi Receives AJC’s Jan Karski Award
Mithal Jamal Al-Alusi, an Iraqi politician who has reached out to Israel and world Jewry, was honored today with the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Jan Karski Award.