Israeli Official to Speak Tonight

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) will host a town hall meeting tonight featuring Uriel Palti, the Israeli deputy consul general.

Tonight’s discussion will focus on peace and security issues in the Middle East, including the peace process, moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and relations with Iraq and Iran.

Acknowledging the difficulty of the long struggle for peace in the Middle East, Sherman, a freshman congressman who serves on the House Committee on International Relations, said he is determined to keep the topic among the top American foreign policy issues.

“We’ve achieved something no one thought we could in Northern Ireland,” Sherman said. “And certainly the peace process, while sometimes very frustrating, is well beyond where it was 20 years ago.”

And if world peace is not enough of an enticement, Sherman, who running for reelection this year against Republican businessman Randy Hoffman, promised kosher cookies, and bagels and cream cheese for all who attend the free event.

Tonight’s town hall meeting is scheduled from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the auditorium at the Bernard Milken Jewish Community Center, 22622 Vanowen St. in West Hills.