NY lawmaker says he’s facing personal attacks over backing of Iran deal

US Rep. Jerrold Nadler says he faced hurtful personal attacks from Orthodox precincts since he announced his support of the Iran nuclear deal.

Nadler, a New York Democrat, told Haaretz this week that the attacks have come from the religiously and politically conservative precincts in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn.

He noted also that he has received emails and calls of support since he announced his backing for what he called the “flawed” deal on Friday in a more than 5,000-word statement, citing as a major reason his support for Israel. He is the sole Jewish lawmaker from his state to support the deal.

Of the attacks, Nadler told Haaretz, “Of course it hurts. It’s emotional.”

“Most hurtful is people asserting, shouting, that somehow I am anti-Israel,” he said. “I’ve been a supporter of Israel my whole life.”

New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, who is Orthodox, has threatened to raise millions of dollars to mount a primary challenge to Nadler, according to the report.

“The political consequences are concerning, but I had to” support the deal,” Nadler told Haaretz. “How could I live with myself if I voted against it knowing that would increase the chances of a bomb in Iranian hands? How could I do that?

“What bothers me about this debate is its incivility, excoriating people as traitors or dual loyalists.”

— JTA