Congressman Wexler to Visit Wellesley Tonight

Congressman Robert Wexler, president of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, will stop by Wellesley Monday night. 

At 7:30 p.m., Wexler will participate in a program hosted by J Street titled Prospects for Peace and Security for Israel at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley. 

As Israel and the Palestinians have resumed direct final status negotiations, the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace will lead an educational outreach effort across the United States to examine the opportunities and challenges facing both sides.  

“The United States has an indispensable role to play in resolving the conflict,” Wexler said, “and it is crucial that the relevant constituencies here have access to sufficient information so that they can reach informed opinions.     

“I am excited to launch our outreach effort in Boston, a city with a deep history of civic engagement, the home of some of our nation’s finest universities and an active Jewish community that is committed to a strong, secure and peaceful State of Israel."

Wexler’s presentations will draw from IS PEACE POSSIBLE?, the Center’s web-based tool which explains the two sides’ positions on the final status issues – Security, Borders, Refugees and Jerusalem. Wexler, who was instrumental in the project’s development, described IS PEACE POSSIBLE? as “one of the most objective and comprehensive presentations of the issues.” 

While the two sides are still far from an agreement, Wexler said that he is “cautiously optimistic that a secure, lasting and comprehensive agreement can be reached in the near future.” 

“In the past few months, both Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas have made difficult decisions in pursuit of peace that demonstrate real leadership," Wexler said. "There is still a lot of work to do, but if you consider Netanyahu’s open letter to the Israeli public in advance of the release of prisoners and several of Abbas’s more positive statements of late, it is clear that the Obama administration’s recent efforts have enabled these leaders to make serious steps forward.”

On Tuesday, he will deliver a presentation on the issue of borders in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at Tufts University. Both events are open press.