Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman traveled to Israel and the West Bank March 6 through March 9 to view first-hand USAID’s development work and meet with government officials and partners.
On March 6, Deputy Administrator Coleman visited with young Jewish and Arab Israelis training for careers in Israel’s technology sector to learn about their experience and see a demonstration of a joint project.
On March 7, she met with the USAID West Bank and Gaza Mission staff to discuss critical development issues, including infrastructure, the environment, and access to goods and services in Gaza. Later the same day, she met with officials from the Government of Israel to discuss USAID’s commitment to a peaceful, sustainable two-state solution.
On International Women’s Day, March 8, Deputy Administrator Coleman met with Palestinian businesswomen to hear about their needs during a panel titled “Policy and Institutional Constraints Affecting Women-Led Businesses” and shared insights about her own experience as a businesswoman and entrepreneur. She met with Palestinian business leaders on supporting economic growth and recovery in the West Bank and Gaza. She later visited a hospital in Bethlehem to see how USAID’s contributions have supported the response to COVID-19 including a COVID-19 testing lab, a USAID supported medical waste facility, and the pediatric care unit.
On March 8, Deputy Administrator Coleman announced the first awards under the Middle East Partnership for Peace Act (MEPPA) Partnership for Peace Fund. The awards include an activity to support economic growth for businesswomen and another to improve economic partnerships between the West Bank and Israel. In addition, she met with Prime Minister Dr. Muhammad Shtayya and discussed the resumption of U.S. assistance and how USAID programs are helping the Palestinian people.
On March 9, before departing to Jordan, Deputy Administrator Coleman toured a USAID-funded youth center in Jericho and met with Palestinian youth about challenges they face in the region.
USAID programming improves the lives of the Palestinian people to help set conditions for a negotiated two-state solution. In 2021, USAID provided over $110 million to support development and humanitarian programs in the West Bank and Gaza—including in economic growth, health, youth empowerment, democracy and governance, water and sanitation, and peacebuilding.
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