Washington – Former Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) is being courted to be Obama’s ambassador to Israel, three Washington Middle East hands tell POLITICO.
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Wexler, a strong pro-Israel ally for the Obama White House going back to the 2008 presidential campaign, has become an even more frequent presence in the White House and Foggy Bottom since resigning his House seat in January to become president of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, a revived Washington think tank named after its benefactor, the Slim-Fast-heir turned Middle East peace evangelist/philanthropist.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke at the center’s debut at Washington’s swanky W Hotel earlier this month, where Wexler joked in his remarks that every morning he gets a call from Abraham asking him, “What are you doing to promote peace today, Robert?”
Wexler didn’t respond to a query. One U.S. official said he’d recently heard the same Wexler-for-Israel ambassador rumor, but when he asked Wexler about it, Wexler said no, he’s enjoying his current job. Another official had also heard the Wexler rumor in the past couple weeks, but didn’t know if it was true.
But several U.S. officials and Washington Middle East hands have suggested that the administration has come to consensus that it wants to put a high-impact political appointee in the Israel envoy job, as the administration aggressively steps up its public relations outreach to the Jewish community, and seeks momentum for its Middle East peace efforts.
Proximity talks between the Israelis and Palestinians got underway earlier this month after more than a year of administration heavy-lifting and considerable frustration. Obama’s Middle East peace envoy George Mitchell, with two rounds of the talks under his belt, gave two rare Washington speeches earlier this week at the U.S. Institute of Peace and Jewish Primary Day School to talk about his peacemaking efforts – something’s he’s been reluctant to do until now since taking the job.
In some ways, the Obama administration’s stepped-up pro-Israel PR blitz the past month represents the kind of outreach Wexler has been doing for Obama all along going back to the presidential campaign — talking up Obama’s commitment to Israel’s security and the benefits to Israel’s and the region’s security and prosperity that a comprehensive peace settlement would provide, to Jewish and wider audiences.
What’s unclear to some associates is if Wexler would be willing to give up a position now where he has influence and access to the highest levels of both Washington and Middle Eastern capitals, without the constraints and hassle (not to mention salary) of a government job. “Wexler is playing a very important role, really advancing a dialogue in the community” in his current NGO role, one Washington Middle East hand said on condition of anonymity. “He really in a short time has stepped up to the plate.”
The Middle East hand didn’t know if Wexler had recently been re-offered or would accept the ambassador job. But “when the president asks you, one is hard pressed to say no,” the former official acknowledged.
Another former Democratic official said the Tel Aviv rotation was expected to take place in late summer, or September.
In related news, Tom Goldberger, a career foreign service officer currently serving as the director of the Israel/Palestinian affairs office in the State Department Near East Affairs bureau, will become deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv this summer, officials confirmed.
Gen. Keith Dayton, who has been leading U.S. efforts to train the Palestinian Authority security forces and increase confidence measures between Israel and the PA, is going to retire, a U.S. official confirmed to POLITICO. Dayton had stayed on in the job at Mitchell’s request, and will have served for five years in the job and 40 in uniform by the time he retires. Another 3-star American general will succeed him, although it wasn’t immediately clear who.
Meantime, President Obama plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, the White House confirmed. The invitation was extended by White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, on a family vacation to Israel, in a meeting with Netanyahu today.
Obama also looks forward to meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House in the near future, White House spokesman Tommy Vietor told POLITICO.
With proximity talks underway, Obama’s planned meetings with both leaders is “designed to help move that process forward,” Vietor said.
As a resident that lives in District 19 in Florida I know of Rep Wexler first hand. He is what we would call an “Emanuel Jew” or a “Rahm Emanuel Jew”. He is willing and able to be a “puppet” to throw other Jews under the bus by using the “I am Jewish” argument. Unfortunately, we have seen this arguments as far back at 40 years before there even was a “Jewish Nation” where “Emanuel Jews” would beat other Jews that were not working hading enough for the Egyptians. Bottom line, these “Emanuel Jews” have been there are every step of history. However, just as a side note, after Hitler killed the other Jews he also killed the “Emanuel Jews”! So wake up to what you are, to everyone else you are just a Jew doing the work of those that hate us for being Jewish.
If Wexler had been a representative in any other district, he would have been voted out years ago. Just last year, it was discovered he didn’t even maintain a residence in his own district. He was the first aboard the Obama express. He has spoken publicly AGAINST helping Jonathan Pollard. He is no friend of Israel.
Wexler is such a left wing ‘fringe’ Demorat. He critisizes Israel every chance he gets. He was the Obama spokesman in Florida when he was a Congressman. Thank g-d he’s gone. He is left wing fringe, almost socialist on all issues.
Hey! He’s a white Obama.
Read what it says….
“But several U.S. officials and Washington Middle East hands have suggested that the administration has come to consensus that it wants to put a high-impact political appointee in the Israel envoy job, as the administration aggressively steps up its public relations outreach to the Jewish community, and seeks momentum for its Middle East peace efforts.”
This man is the right man for the job. He is Jewish and he is willing to sell Israel out. who better then a self hating Jew to do the work of those that seek our destruction.
I have lived in Boca Raton FL for over a decade now and I have followed Wexler’s career very closely. Wexler is a young Democrat Machine politician. Extremely liberal. Pro-abortion. Pro-homosexual. Pro-union. Pro-taxes. Anti-business. He was saved professionally by Danny Abraham when it was clear that even the local loyal Democrats had given up on him due to his unbelievably bad political judgement. Wexler had basically moved his entire family to Maryland, bought a home there, registered for a local MD tax exemption there, and had no FL residence in his District other than a rented “bedroom” in his Parent’s two bedroom retirement Condo !!! Local papers were writing that he was like a schlemiel and we residents his schlomozels. Then when Danny Abraham saved him, it was revealed that he was in massive debt, so far over his head, he was literally bankrupt. He had almost $100,000 in credit card debt alone. Not very inspiring. Did he gamble at the casino? Do drugs? Girlfriends? Who knows. But he would shill for anyone with a contribution. No great friend of Israel. Just a plain vanilla machine pol with a gift for gab. Saved by Danny Abraham for a few bucks. Shameful
to #5 : Yes, the old are stupid-they vote for the jewish name…as you likely do.
No thought; just like the milah