For Immediate Release
Press Release
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides, USAID/West Bank and Gaza Mission Director Amy Tohill-Stull, and MEPPA Partnership for Peace Fund Board Chair George Salem met with representatives from each of the current MEPPA grantees today in Jerusalem to celebrate progress during the first year of programming under the groundbreaking MEPPA legislation.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) implements MEPPA programs to promote people-to-people peacebuilding and grassroots economic cooperation. These programs advance shared community-building, peaceful coexistence, dialogue, and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians through sectors of common concern, including health care, technology, economic growth, women’s empowerment, and the environment. MEPPA grantees represent a diverse range of Israeli and Palestinian civil society organizations.
Following the discussion, Ambassador Nides, Board Chair Salem, and Mission Director Tohill-Stull gave remarks on the success of the programs to date and expressed their excitement for the new grants USAID announced this morning.
“My friend Nita Lowey wrote and championed MEPPA to build more connections between Israelis and Palestinians as a foundation for a two-state solution. I’m so impressed with the organizations funded by the MEPPA Partnership for Peace Fund and their commitment to peace. What’s most exciting about these programs is that they encourage Israelis and Palestinians to collaborate to solve problems that affect their daily lives and those of their neighbors while at the same time building connections that make achieving a peaceful future more concrete,” said Ambassador Thomas Nides
For more information about USAID’s MEPPA programs, visit USAID.gov.