Panel Discussion: United Nations Debate on Granting Palestinian Statehood

The event is co-sponsored by the Vineyard chapter of J Street  and is part of a National Action Day event being observed in various communities and in Washington, urging Americans to show their support for President Obama’s approach to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict now.  The operating premise of the discussion is President Obama’s statement in May:

“We can’t afford to wait another decade . . . to achieve peace. The world is moving too fast.  The extraordinary challenges facing Israel will only grow. Delay will undermine Israel’s security, and the peace that the Israeli people deserve.”

The keynote speaker will be Richard North Patterson, the author of many best selling novels, including Exile (2007) which deals with Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

William A. Gamson, a political sociologist at Boston College and the chair of the Vineyard chapter of J Street, will moderate the discussion.  The panelists (in alphabetical order) will include:

Caryn Broitman, the Rabbi of the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center, and a scholar with a long interest in Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Arthur Obermayer, a philanthropist and activist in J Street and on a variety of efforts to further a negotiated, two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Arnold M. Zack, Harvard Law School, an arbitrator and mediator with a life long interest and experience in conflict resolution.

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