Chemi Peres, son of Shimon Peres, and Yousef Qaraja, a boy from the Judean Palestinian Authority city of Halhul, whose life was saved over ten years ago by undergoing complex cardiac surgery in Israel through one of the Peres Center's medicine and healthcare initiatives, met and addressed the audience at the 2017 AIPAC policy conference in Washington, DC on Sunday. Qaraja: "For me and for my friend Shimon Peres, I ask that you continue working to make peace."
Chemi Peres said: "I have never been so proud to be my father's son. He was one of the forefathers of the state of Israel and worked to establish the Israeli defense industry. My father devoted his life to peacebuilding; he believed that through innovation, medicine and education, peace could be achieved, and he believed that science and technology could be harnessed in the service of Tikkun Olam (fixing the world)."
Chemi added: "My father said, 'Let us dream big, let us make the world a better place'; I invite everyone to take part in realizing the vision of my father, the Ninth President of the State of Israel, Shimon Peres."