Transcript: Partnership for Peace Fund Advisory Board Meeting May 21, 2024

DFO Dan McDonald: Okay, hello, everyone. Thank you so much for being here at this, the fourth open meeting of the Partnership for Peace Fund Advisory Board. I want to give a special thanks to our Board members, to the head of our Middle East Bureau, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator, Andy Plitt, and to our Mission Director Amy Tohill-Stull. 

Before we begin, I just want to note that this meeting is being recorded and that there's an option on the bottom left hand side of your screen for closed captioning. 

We want to extend our gratitude especially as this Partnership for Peace Fund Board convenes during what has been an incredibly difficult time. Your insights and experience are invaluable to us as we seek a peaceful path forward. Just as when we met in November, the conflict in Gaza still rages. Millions are displaced from their homes. Hostages remain in captivity, and it is difficult to predict what the future will hold. 

But, unlike in November, we now have a better understanding of how our grantees under the Middle East Partnership for Peace Act, or MEPPA, and their peers in the broader peacebuilding community have responded to these pressures. We have seen incredible acts of courage from peacebuilders who have used the networks they formed with USAID funding to connect on a personal level across borders to process the horror and grief of the last eight months together. Our partners persist in their work to recruit new participants, leverage U.S. support, to meet despite restrictions on movement, and to continue to build meaningful partnerships. 

Philanthropic support to peacebuilding organizations has actually increased since October 7th and peacebuilders are standing up to insist on a new way forward for their communities and their neighbors in the region. As they do this, however, they are standing against the tide of public opinion, with levels of mistrust and tension now surpassing those seen during the Second Intifada. 

On the topic of recruitment, some of our partners have struggled and had more difficulty since October 7th, while others have seen increased interest.

One of our MEPPA activities has received 524 applicants for only a hundred spots, and this ability to recruit participants underscores the relationships we're building and how MEPPA can serve as a model for what the future could look like. 

At this moment of increasing challenges, the time is right to reflect on the appropriate role for MEPPA and its fundamental goal of connecting people on an individual level. To frame this conversation, we will first hear a broad perspective on USAID's work since our last Board meeting from SDAA Plitt of our Middle East Bureau. Then, our Board Chair George Salem, will share his thoughts on the moment in which we find ourselves. After that, our Mission Director, Amy Tohill-Stull, will provide a brief update on the specific pivots the USAID has made under MEPPA to respond to the post-October 7 reality. Finally, we'll open the floor to our Board members, and we'll use the bulk of our meeting for that, to seek your feedback on these remarks, and your insights into two additional questions:
First, how do you assess the value of peacebuilding work given the ongoing conflict between the government of Israel and the deepening tensions between Israelis and Palestinians? 

Second, what specific actions should USAID take with new funds to ensure we are meeting the moment in terms of our MEPPA programs? 

With those two questions in mind, I will now turn the floor over to SDAA Plitt to share some reflections on USAID's work since October 7. Over to you. 

SDAA Andy Plitt: Okay. Thank you, Dan, and thank you to Amy and George and all the gathered Board members. As Dan alluded to in his remarks, the past eight months have been extremely trying for Israelis, Palestinians, and all of those who work for prosperity, dignity, and peace in the region. At USAID it's been no different with many of our staff having lost family members in Gaza, worrying for family members and friends called up to reserve duty in Israel and seeing their loved ones displaced from home in both Israel and in Gaza. 

So through no direct – though no direct related – though not directly related to conflict, we've also – we in the USAID family – have been processing the murder last month in Jaffa of our beloved colleague Jacob Toukhy. Jacob served with USAID in Tel Aviv for 24 years as an advocate for peace and understanding. He was a passionate believer in the importance of civil society and a dear friend to many, many of us including myself. 

Through it all, our agency has been on the front lines of the U.S. government's response since the horrific attacks of October 7th. Our focus has been twofold: 

First, we've worked to ensure that our partners, including those under MEPPA, are safe and have the resources and the flexibilities they need to continue their work. 

Second, we've taken your advice on redoubling our efforts to respond to the challenges of promoting peacebuilding in the aftermath of October 7th.

Amy will discuss how our partners are faring, but broadly speaking, USAID’s partners in the West Bank are continuing their work despite the daily violence and the severe restrictions on their movement. 

Those who were working on long term development projects in Gaza are beginning to resume critical efforts, where they can do so safely, with the necessary pivots in place. 

On the humanitarian front, USAID and the State Department have committed over $180 million to the humanitarian response in Gaza for emergency food, water sanitation, hygiene, field hospitals, shelter, and other emergency supplies.

Congress has appropriated new funds to meet humanitarian needs around the world, including those in Gaza, and our attention is now on how best to allocate those resources to ensure they get to those most in need. Much of the U.S. government's work has been in support of diplomatic efforts to secure the return of the hostages and to ensure humanitarian and protection of humanitarian actors. 

On the access front, we're pleased to see that the maritime corridor into Gaza has been operationalized allowing for an additional point of access for much needed assistance. But as anyone watching the news can tell, our efforts have only achieved mixed results.

Many Gazans are facing severe food insecurity. The operation in Rafah has again displaced hundreds of thousands who were already displaced by the war, and many of the gains and access and protection of humanitarian actors have been reversed as the pace of military operations have increased. 

The conflict has been an unspeakable tragedy for both Palestinians and Israelis. Administrator Power saw it firsthand when she visited the region in late February to hear from those most impacted by the conflict and to engage with a wide range of partners on the way forward in Gaza. But she also met with peacebuilders – during the trip she met with survivors at Kibbutz Be’eri, Palestinians in the West Bank, and humanitarians engaged in Gaza, all of whom described the worst conditions that they'd ever seen. 

But she also met with peacebuilders who gave her hope. The MEPPA partners she met with described how they immediately reached out to the friends that they had made through peacebuilding to check in on them and to begin to make sense of what was happening. They talked about their continued commitment to cross border business partnerships like USAID’s kosher certification program for Palestinian owned companies in the West Bank. And they told her how they worked with USAID to get special permits so that young people from the West Bank would travel for hours through multiple checkpoints to meet in person with their counterparts in Israel to grieve and to plan together.

And they spoke about their hope for the future. That this time, when both Israelis and Palestinians are desperate for a way forward, may create a window of opportunity for lasting peace and partnership. These peacebuilders see a path forward where the legitimate aspirations of all the peoples in the region can be united in a single vision that brings normalized relations between Israel and its Arab partners – and its Arab neighbors – security and prosperity for both Israelis and Palestinians. They hope to be a part of that work, but to do so, their organizations need to weather the current storm. 

To that end, we need the help of this Board, as well as all the friends of MEPPA who are listening in now, to tell us what we should be doing differently, to help us understand the perspectives that we may not be hearing, and to join us in advancing a peaceful vision of the future. 

I know George has been actively engaging in these conversations, so I want to turn it over to him for some quick insights before Amy shares additional details on the MEPPA program since October 7th. So, over to you, George. 

Chair George Salem: Thank you, Andy, and good morning, everyone. It's good to see everyone on screen. I look forward to seeing you all in person again soon. 

Before I introduce Amy, I do want to provide some insights from my own conversations with Palestinian and Israeli friends and others from the region. 

What Andy said is exactly right. This is a moment of tremendous loss and grief, but there's also a glimmer of hope that something better might emerge out of the destruction and death we have seen. 

My friends in Israel are telling me that more than ever the public is ready for a way forward. There is no one vision for how this path should be accomplished, but there is an opportunity for Israel's leaders and friends to put forward new ideas. 

For my Palestinian colleagues and friends of the West Bank and in Gaza, this is an overwhelming recognition that a new vision and new leadership – building on the reforms that the reconstituted Palestinian Authority is beginning to undertake now – are necessary. 

At the same time, many Arab countries see an opportunity to seize the moment and advance the two-state peace and their own normalized relations with Israel. Across the region, the people I speak with are ready to move past conflict and extremism to do business together, to live peacefully together, and to rebuild together and raise their children in peace. 

The question for all of us is whether leaders will emerge who are willing and able to accomplish the goals of this moderate majority. The time will come when the U.S. government will need to put forward a clear vision for the future – perhaps as part of a Saudi normalization plan—but is it is understandable that much of the work is now focused on immediate humanitarian and security needs. 

In the meantime, MEPPA remains vitally important. The Development Finance Corporation’s work has proceeded very well. There are a number of projects that are in the final stages of completion, including expanded loan guarantee facilities, investments in incubator funds and startups, and micro-lending all across the West Bank. There is energy and innovation in the peacebuilding and business communities that MEPPA supports, and we need to protect and preserve their ability to operate in this chaotic and violent period so they are ready to surge forward when the time is right. I believe USAID and DFC are using the tools at their disposal to do just that, but I also know that the next year will bring new challenges and opportunities to expand and shift course. 

To that end, I'm eager to hear Amy's updates and most importantly, as always, all of your recommendations and advice for the future of MEPPA. With that, let me turn it over to Amy. 

Mission Director Amy Tohill-Stull: Thank you, George. It's wonderful to be here today with all of you. Thank you for joining us. 

I'd like to take a moment at the top to honor one of the Mission's own, Jacob Toukhy, who was a member of USAID West Bank Gaza staff for 24 years. He was tragically killed last month near his home in Jaffa. As a dedicated peacebuilder, he embodied the values of all who are working toward durable peace. This was exemplified in his work both managing MEPPA grants and as a volunteer emergency medic, a capacity in which he worked alongside Palestinians and Israelis alike to save lives. 

As the Mission looks to honor Jacob’s legacy, USAID staff have recommitted themselves to working toward peace, even in the most difficult circumstances we face today. Despite the very challenging operating context, the peacebuilding community as a whole has only shown increased dedication to its work, including our MEPPA implementing partners. We're honored to work alongside you in order to maintain hope for a better, more peaceful future. 

Our work is not only more challenging now, but also more important than ever at this pivotal moment. Yet to be successful, we must adapt our strategic and implementation approaches to remain most relevant and achieve results amid skepticism that people-to-people partnerships can still bridge divides. This requires us to fundamentally change the strategic nature of peacebuilding activities. We recognize we cannot simply forge ahead along the same lines as before October the 7th. 

Recognizing this, following the Board's recommendations from last November's MEPPA Board meeting, USAID adjusted the MEPPA solicitation to place a greater emphasis on reconciliation and dialogue, understanding of conflict narratives, media disinformation, and efforts that demonstrate impact on attitudes. 

Earlier this year, we also created a MEPPA Community of Practice as a way to foster learning and solidarity among our 23 MEPPA partners. This forum will ensure that alumni, partners, and beneficiaries see themselves as part of a broader movement for peace. To date, this Community of Practice has discussed the operational challenges of implementing programs since October the 7th, including difficulties around recruitments, permits, and safety, and they have brainstormed solutions together. 

This group also discussed the need for mental health support and incorporating this into the programs. We have responded to this request by providing space and resources for psychosocial support so that our partners can start with addressing their own traumas before attempting to engage others in meaningful dialogue. 

Our most recent MEPPA solicitation closed in February of this year, and we've seen the peacebuilding community respond resoundingly to our call for concept papers. In fact, we weren't very sure what the interest level would be given the conflict, but we were glad to announce that we received an estimated 100 applications in the latest solicitation round showing interest on par with previous rounds.

Now, at this point in time, we're finalizing the second stage of the application process, the co-creation stage, which is a collaborative effort where we're working hand-in-hand with the top rated applicants, and we look forward to announce the new slate of awards in the coming months as we refine the program descriptions. 

In addition to the ongoing co-creation process, USAID is working toward putting in place a dedicated award to strengthen the capacity of new MEPPA partners and support other local organizations that may need additional assistance to apply for USAID funding. This not only will expand the pool of local organizations that can compete successfully for USAID resources, but also will increase the number of small grants to draw in and grow smaller peacebuilding organizations, thereby broadening the constituency for peace. 

Moreover, the award will support USAID with building a peacebuilding network and fostering learning and sharing of best practices. Further details on this capacity building award are currently procurement sensitive, but we're looking forward to sharing more about this exciting addition to our portfolio in the coming weeks.

I'd also like to spend a few minutes talking about MEPPA successes over the past six months and draw attention to the incredible work of our partners. 

The Building Regional Economic Bridges program, which is focused on enhancing economic cooperation, is hitting its stride. It has generated $200 million worth of investments, $100 million of which is in pipeline for the U.S. government's Development Finance Corporation. In total, the BREB program is supporting 27 joint Israeli-Palestinian business startups, joint ventures, and alliances with 67 more in the pipeline. 

Aside from BREB, USAID’s 22 people-to-people grants are bringing together thousands of Palestinians and Israelis to foster dialogue, mutual understanding, and trust building. Cumulatively, our MEPPA partners have held over 1500 events, trainings, or other activities designed to build support for peace and reconciliation across eight different sectors since MEPPA's inception. These successes have been realized despite the many operational challenges that our partners have faced since October the 7th.

For several months, in person activities ceased and shifted to a virtual platform. Nonetheless, our partners still succeeded to bring beneficiaries from both sides together and we're now seeing in person events resume. For our newest cohort of partners, thirteen in total which were onboarded in October, there was a delayed startup. However, they're now all working full speed ahead as well. 

To track this progress and the long term impact of MEPPA, USAID instituted a performance management plan in 2022 and uses a 3rd party to conduct perception surveys and independent evaluations. Our first evaluation was conducted in the summer of 2023, and the data from this evaluation suggested a promising trajectory, but we know that much has changed since that point in time. This coming summer, another perception survey will be conducted among all MEPPA partners to track the effects that the current conflict has on our programs. And once we have those results, we'll share them with all of you. Likely, we will see a negative shift in the trend line and in light of this, our goal is to continue to work with our partners to increase the number of people-to-people interactions and gain back as much progress as possible. 

So, thank you, again, for engaging with us today and offering your perspectives and recommendations on how to improve MEPPA outcomes. I look forward to hearing from each of you momentarily, and at this point, I will hand the floor back over to Dan and George to go over the agenda for today. 

Chair George Salem: Thank you, Amy, for that update. We'll now move into our discussion for the remainder of the meeting. As Dan mentioned at the top, there are three things we hope to hear from all of you Board members. First, we want to hear your reactions to the perspectives, actions, and plans that our USAID speakers have put forward. 

Secondly, we want to know how you assess the importance of peacebuilding at this moment, given the ongoing conflict. Is peacebuilding important or does it seem to be the wrong time to focus on peace? 

And finally, what specific actions should USAID take with new funds to ensure that we are quote ‘meeting the moment,’ as we've discussed in prior Board meetings, in terms of our programs? 

In all cases, I hope and I know from our previous Board meetings that our conversation will be open and honest. Thus far, we've expressed optimism, but it is also an extremely dark time for Israelis and Palestinians, and some of you may want to paint a different picture of what you think the future will hold and what it will demand. 

For my part, I do believe that the majority of Israelis, Palestinians and citizens of neighboring countries want a lasting and durable peace. The problem has been and continues to be that extremists will do anything to sow mistrust and hatred to prevent peace from emerging. MEPPA was created and exists to push back against this extremism and its narrative, and I believe that USAID and DFC should continue to pursue a mix of civil society and business oriented awards. They should also focus on awards that not only build trust and partnerships, but also equip participants with tools necessary to advocate within their communities for the values of engagement and trust building. 

I also continue to support business partnerships as one of the most straightforward ways of bringing people together in shared interests and so I support the expansion of the work of the Building Regional Economic Bridges program. As we just heard from Amy, the success of that seems to be quite substantial. 

And I'm encouraged to hear about USAID’s planned award to fund small peacebuilding organizations to make their models more sustainable and to ensure the work of MEPPA is widespread and sensitive to local realities. 

We also want to encourage USAID to carry forward with waivers for social media review of MEPPA participants. I know it is not necessarily a topic of today's conversation, but I do believe it is the right move and legally permissible. On that same note, I have requested a briefing for interested Board members on any of the legal restrictions that USAID faces when it comes to social media review in connection with both MEPPA applicants and recipients. Finally, I recommend USAID use the upcoming fiscal year to consider ways to tap into ways that embrace a two-state peace and the need—needs—of both Palestinians and Israelis. 

And, with that, I would like to open the floor to the Board starting, as we always do, with Nita Lowey without whom – Congressman Lowey – MEPPA would not have been possible without her terrific work. 

I think that - Nita are you on?

I think we're having technical issues with the Loweys. They were able to dial in, but they have been unable to unmute. Loweys, if you can hear me, whenever you unmute, if you're able to do so, please feel free to jump in. 

With that, I see hands raised. I see Farah Bdour first

Farah Bdour: Thank you, Dan and thank you, George. Before I begin, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to USAID staff for their unwavering commitment and hard work during these incredibly challenging times.

I would also like to join my voice to others and take a moment to honor the memory of Jacob Toukhy who tragically was killed while serving on duty. His dedication and sacrifice reminds us all of the profound importance and impact of the USAID Mission in the West Bank and Gaza.

And just to quickly reflect on last year's grants and the importance of grassroots peacebuilding initiatives, I think it has never been more critical. The USAID partners rose to the occasion and brought local solutions that proved essential for creating resilient communities after the shock of October 7. And I have to say that the way that these partners managed to maintain a balanced perspective despite the widespread polarization is truly inspiring. We need to continue to support these partners in their effort to reshape the reality and leading, hopefully, to address the root causes of the conflict and build a foundation for lasting peace and stability for both people.

Moving forward, I want to talk about the significant challenges we face in the aftermath of the horrific October 7 attack. The recent events have plunged us into a situation filled with uncertainty and urgency, and one of the most critical issues is the lack of a clear political vision or long term strategy for Gaza and the West Bank, which makes forward planning very difficult. 

This absence of direction risks that immediate response without careful consideration could create long term obstacles. And this ambiguity makes it challenging to decide which sectors or groups should receive the MEPPA funding. So the pressing question becomes how can the USAID be both wise and strategic in determining where and to whom to invest in during this post-October 7 reality and within, as I said, a context of political ambiguity. 

To address this question, I think we must focus on investing in game changing projects that can guide us even without a clear political vision. These projects should anticipate future needs and ensure they remain beneficial regardless of the political landscape. And based on this approach, I propose prioritizing projects that capacitate youth – youth education and digital access. These initiatives are crucial for fostering a generation capable of driving change and within this priority, I think we should support organizations that facilitate youth dialogue that bring together not only Israelis and Palestinians, but also include regional youth primarily from critical countries like Jordan and Egypt. If anything, I believe that the evidence of post-October 7 have highlighted the importance of regional perspective and the necessity for transborder interaction.

Moreover, while Gaza remains a critical focus, we must not overlook the vulnerability of the West Bank and, therefore, strengthening our support in the West Bank is essential to prevent further instability. 

With that, I think, once again, thank you for your dedication and for your effort. With that, I conclude. Over to you, George. Thank you. 

Chairman George Salem: Thank you, Farah, for your very thoughtful comments. I don't see any raised hands.

MEPPA Facilitator: We have Congressman Wexler, Rabbi Cohen, and Nickolay Mladenov.

Chairman George Salem: Great. Thank you. For some reason we don't see them here. Congressman Wexler, Cohen – Rabbi Cohen. And who’s the third one?  

MEPPA Facilitator: Nickolay Mladenov.

Chairman George Salem: Nickolay. Okay, turning to Congressman Wexler.

Rabbi Michael Cohen: Nickolay’s hand was up before mine so let him go before me, please.

Chairman George Salem: Who was that, Elliott?

Rabbi Michael Cohen: No, this is Michael Cohen.

Hon. Elliott Abrams: No I was just saying Sander’s hand is up also.

Chairman George Salem: Okay – and Sander. Anyone else at this stage? 

Then I'll go and order – Congressman Wexler, Rabbi Cohen, Nickolay Mladenov, and then Sander Gerber. 

Congressman Wexler. 

Congressman Robert Wexler: George, I think Sander was actually first. So… 

Chairman George Salem: Okay – it really doesn't matter. You're all gonna get a chance to speak, so…

Sander Gerber: I defer to the Congressman or everyone else. 

Chairman George Salem: Okay. Rob, please proceed.

Congressman Robert Wexler: Alright. I very much would like to associate myself, George, with your remarks, and also with Farah's remarks. In particular, the focus on the notion that, at this point in time, given – as you described it, George, the dark time – that MEPPA incorporates in a very serious fashion, the regional dynamic – the regional aspect of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the context of what we can do to improve conditions for both Israelis and Palestinians.

I am struck by the hopelessness of the moment and yet in this dark time, the one area where there seems to be leverage points – different, of course, for both Israelis and Palestinians – that offer opportunity, is the regional aspect. So, I think there should be a focus, obviously, on Egypt and Jordan, but also on the three primary countries who have opened up diplomatic relations recently with Israel through the Abraham Accords and leaving the door open, of course, for Saudi Arabia and others. 

The leverage that adding regional actors to the MEPPA process for Israelis would be significant for very different reasons than Palestinians. We have heard before October 7, to some degree, how difficult it is for Palestinians to engage in some of our programming with the concerns relating to fears of normalization allegations in that regard. So I would think adding a regional dimension would be particularly attractive at this point in time for both Israelis and Palestinians for different reasons, but would give our effort a tremendous boost and a degree of relevancy that it may not otherwise have. Thanks. 

Chairman George Salem: Thanks, Congressman Wexler. Turning to Rabbi Cohen.

Rabbi Michael Cohen: Good to see everybody and I just wanna – 

Chairman George Salem: Can you get closer to your mic, please, Michael? We can't hear you very well.

Rabbi Michael Cohen: Is that better? Is that okay? 

Chairman George Salem: Yes, that's better. 

Rabbi Michael Cohen: Thank you, George. So, I just want to echo what George and Amy and Robert and Farah have all said. I think particularly hearing about the focus of the impact of attitudes is so critical – and I'm looking forward to seeing what those will look like this summer knowing that it will probably go down – but having a realistic appraisal of what is working and not working, particularly on that point, is really, really critical to our work. I think the support of smaller groups is also essential as we go forward. 

In terms of the role of peace now, I think we need to get more sophisticated in what we mean by the word peace. Peace doesn't mean the issues go away. Peace just means we're now going to deal with those issues in a healthier, less violent fashion, and it actually may take decades or generations for those issues to work themselves out. And we have to get much better at what we mean by the word peace, shalom and peace, salam. It's a longer conversation, but I think something about the packaging and of it we need to be better at.

I have three recommendations that I would like to recommend. The first is, I recommend that the MEPPA Advisory Board be more fully informed how MEPPA grantees have modified and continued their programs since October 7. 

Second, the peacebuilding community has demonstrated incredible resilience despite the challenges. They do incredibly meaningful and important work bringing together people who are polarized in these different societies. According to recent polling, by ALLMEP, the vast majority of civil society peacebuilding organizations continued their work or even expanded it since October 7. I am recommending, therefore, that the U.S. double its funding of MEPPA from $50 million to $100 million annually and urge other countries to do so as well. 

And third, there has been a huge rift within Israeli society and we need to put more efforts into funding uni-national programs between Jews and Arabs within Israel itself. Thank you.

Chairman George Salem: Thank you Michael. Nickolay Mladenov.

Nickolay Mladenov: Thank you, George – thank you for your opening remarks, and thank you to our colleagues from USAID for not just for the excellent update that they gave us today, but most importantly for the work that they're doing on the ground in such a difficult time – most in relation to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but also to the work of MEPPA. 

We do face a tragic situation. I'm not going to dwell on that. I've just been back from a series of meetings with both Israelis and Palestinians and one thing that struck me was that they both in their different ways had one message: they feel alone. Israelis feel alone. Palestinians feel alone. And I think, perhaps, for MEPPA, this is one of the most important challenges and opportunities to actually engage with communities on both sides in order to challenge that narrative that both Israeli people – the Jewish people – and the Palestinians are alone in this current crisis. 

Now, I want to support what Farah said about involvement of use and particularly about opening up MEPPA opportunities to countries beyond Israel and the Palestinians to the country's neighboring – Egypt and Jordan and the Abraham Accords countries – but if I may add one aspect to that, I think it's very important that we also look at educational institutions and projects within educational institutions because they will be critical for whatever comes next in the long run.

My second point is to look at, in particular, at the situation in the West Bank and in Jerusalem. I'm personally very concerned about both, but I think that the work that MEPPA has done to date to try and keep the links between Israelis and Palestinians existing is very important and it needs to be redoubled perhaps. And critically, I think, in Jerusalem where the situation of disconnect between the two peoples is very dramatic in my view. 

Third point, I think we also need to look at projects that actually focus on deradicalization. Deradicalization and challenging the extremest narratives that are emerging in the conflict right now. This is a broad recommendation, and obviously it needs to be looked at through our activities in civil society, in businesses, but again, educational institutions are very important. 

A more broad point, perhaps, on the future of MEPPA – and we've talked about this in the past on a number of occasions – I would like to see USAID reach out more actively to other countries – the European Union, the European Commission, the countries of the Abraham Accords– to see if they are willing to explore joining in our effort to preserve Israeli-Palestinian links through MEPPA projects. And whether contributing to such projects or setting up their own initiatives that run in parallel, but really joining this effort that, for now USAID, is pioneering is so important. We have European elections coming up very soon. There'll be a new dynamic emerging in the European parliament and perhaps this would be a good time to look at that. 

And the very last point going back to the regional aspect of this, and to the question of deradicalization. Recently, in Cairo, there was quite an extraordinary event which some of you may have seen. It was called Takween bringing together liberal Arab poets, writers, journalists, thinkers to counter the radical narrative coming from religion – you know, from very religious radicals within the Arab and Muslim society. This effort I think is quite extraordinary, and if we can look at opportunities and how the dialogue between these liberal, open minded Arab intellectuals and intellectuals in Israel can take place, that would be a significant contribution I think, also, to the broader effort of MEPPA’s activities. 

Thank you, George, and thank you again to the USAID team for their excellent work. Over to you.

Chairman George Salem: Thank you, Ambassador Mladenov. Turning now to Sander Gerber, and I see Rabbi Buchdahl and Elliott Abrams and who else? I'm sorry?

DFO Dan McDonald: That's all for now. 

Chairman George Salem: Okay. Sander, please.

Sander Gerber: All set, George? Okay.

 We all have the same goals. I think the issue is tactics. I agree completely with what George began saying that we have to push back against extremism. But I think as Nickolay highlighted, it's not just pushing back extremism, it's deradicalization.

And this is something that I don't think we're doing. I don't think that we're pushing back against extremism directly and I don't think that we are focused on deradicalization. We aren't. And more importantly, we're not targeting the – and we're not pushing back against the extremist leadership and the disinformation that they are sponsoring around the conflict. For instance, Hamas is bad. We should educate why Hamas is bad. Now, we all know Hamas is bad and a terror organization, but the poles that I see amongst Palestinian populations shows significant support for Hamas. So, obviously they don't think they're so bad. 

Likewise, the Palestinian Authority recently had was on a panel at the United Nations where they were saying Israel as a nation state conducts ethnic cleansing and genocide. We need to educate why the Palestinian Authority is corrupt; why the Palestinian Authority is a barrier to peace; why the Palestinian Authority is stealing from the Palestinian people; and why the Palestinian Authority is not the key for the solution to peace. 

Now, second point. Robert said, and I agree with him, that we need a pathway to responsible leadership. To do that, we need to include the regional Arabs that are on board through the Abraham Accords. We need to somehow incorporate them within the solution to find responsible leadership that wants to make peace between Palestinians and Israelis. One possible program could be independent journalism where we train Palestinian journalists in Abraham Accord countries so they can then call out the irresponsibility of the leadership in the Palestinian territories. 

And lastly – third point is our grantees. We must be able to vet our grantees. If we're not able to vet our grantees, we can't be sure that they're not actually encouraging the extremism that we're fighting against. We know we already have a problem. There have been legal opinions, which we disagree with, that USAID is unable to vet grant recipients, particularly if they're US citizens. It's nonsense. We can't continue a program if we cannot properly vet the grant recipients to make sure that they comport with the values that we're trying to do with MEPPA.

Thank you.

Chairman George Salem: Thank you Sander. Turning now to Elliott Abrams and then Rabbi Buchdahl.

Elliot, you're still muted. We cannot hear you.

Hon. Elliott Abrams: Following up on what Sander said. To begin with, I agree with what he said very much on the vetting question. I've had experience in several administrations, including the Biden administration, with the way in which we vet potential appointees to administration posts and it seems to be much more thorough, in my experience, than what MEPPA has done, which is remarkable.

I just, I don't—I agree with Sander. I think the idea that there are legal limits that prevent this is really unpersuasive.

Second, one of the things that I've thought about MEPPA from the very beginning is that we should be trying to accomplish real programs – that is not talk shops for a variety of reasons. And I've been pleased to see when I look at the most recent fact sheet that we seem to be trying very much to do that. That we're not sponsoring, you know, just conferences of like minded people, but rather efforts, for example, in the field of health to get people on the Israeli and Palestinian sides to work together. 

It's in that context that I very much favor working on deradicalization, but I think we need to be careful that we're not just getting like minded people who oppose radicalization to sit down and talk to each other. I don't know that helps very much. So, just a comment – or two questions:

One – on going beyond Israelis and Palestinians, it seems to be obvious that if we can get Jordanians, Emiratis and so forth to support similar programming, that's terrific. But, I have a question about our legal authority for spending money on people who are not Israelis or Palestinians. I don't have the act in front of me, but we, as I recall, most of the paperwork refers to Israelis and Palestinians. So what leeway – legal question – what leeway do we have if we would like to include, I don't know, Emiratis, Saudis, Egyptians? What leeway do we have to spend money on those individuals? That's a legal question. 

And then, finally, I would like to ask for some comment from MEPPA staff on Chemonics. You know, when you look at the fact sheet, there are three grants of over $4 million and a lot of grants at half a million or a million, 700,000. And then there's an $87 million program with Chemonics, which dwarfs everything else. I've always been skeptical of the so-called ‘beltway bandits,’ and I wonder why it was necessary to give and to do an $87 million program, by far the largest under MEPPA, through a for-profit company like that. And the specific question is how much goes to programming and how much goes to Chemonics for quotes ‘overhead’ closed quote. Thanks.

Chairman George Salem: Thank you Elliott. Rabbi Buchdahl. 

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl: Thank you so much. George, one of the questions you posed is should we even be pursuing peace in this moment? And I just wanna add a resounding yes that there is no more important time for us to do it. And just to underscore the courage it takes to do so. Not just literally the courage – as we learned with a tragic loss of a USAID worker, that it actually takes courage physically of their bodies to be doing this work right now – but the courage it takes to just even talk of peace in a moment like this with the ridicule and the sense of – the charge of being naive in this moment. I actually think that it's more important than ever that we affirm that we can take steps that move us towards a path towards peace and we have to continue doing it. 

In that line, I want to underscore what Nickolay brought up about the deradicalization, and I just want to name that I think it's important that we're not just talking about deradicalizing Palestinians, but also right wing extremists on the Jewish side as well because they are also a tremendous impediment to peace and, right now, many of them are in incredibly high positions of power. And so that work needs to happen on the extremes and on both sides. 

And I would also like to underscore that it feels like both in Israel and in Gaza and and here in America and across Europe – we know that extremist voices are just getting the platform. So I don't know what organizations are out there to help amplify that, what I am certain and every poll has shown is, the vast relatively silent majority in the middle, both within the Palestinian community and the Jewish Israeli communities, that actually seek a different peaceful pathway forward. But there's just not an articulation of those ideas. There's no articulation of what that looks like, how that happens, and I don't know why it feels like there is so little amplification of those voices. And so, I don't know what that means, but I don't know if it's around social media presence or or just greater training or bringing those voices together on both sides. But anyway, I'd love to see that we are amplifying the more moderate voices in some intentional way. 

And then, in addition, I think that one of the hardest things that keeps coming up is there is no day after because there feels like there is no Palestinian leadership that anyone is, you know, yet sees as a partner on the other side. Is there any effort that we have done specifically around, like, political leadership training in the Palestinian community? And I just – I don't know if there is some specific engagement/specific leadership training – I don't know if it happens with youth or just a little bit older, like the kind of the group that could actually then start creating a different infrastructure – because we keep throwing up our hands. There is no partner on the other side that has the weight, the gravitas, the means. And so, how do we even begin to start building that?

Chairman George Salem: Thank you, Rabbi Buchdahl. I think we have Heather and then Mark. 

Heather Johnston.

Heather Johnston: Great. Thank you. Thank you, George, and thank you, MEPPA Board. I just want to say, first of all, I know that we're in such a – the current environment is so difficult and it's made it very difficult for people-to-people, you know, relations between the Palestinians and Israelis right now. It's never probably ever been this challenging. I've been involved, you know, inside this arena for 25 years and I've never seen anything like this. It's very, very challenging. 

But I do want to say – I think it's fair to say that the recipients of MEPPA are trying to achieve the mission's objectives and build stronger people-to-people relations. I don't doubt people's motives, and things like that. But what I do want to echo is Rabbi Cohen's recommendation that the Advisory Board receives specific updates on current people-to-people fund recipients and how they are meeting or not meeting over the past seven months and plans to meet those objectives over the next seven months or through the end of the year. I think we need to be checking that because I think if we're to be true to form – if this Advisory Board were to be true to form with the mission and objective of MEPPA, things need to be checked and there needs to be a greater accountability at this time for how things are – how things are being done and if they are being done. If they're actually, you know, going about what they said they're gonna do. And I'm in real agreement with that as, I would imagine, many of you. 

The second thing is I've gotten messages from applicants – not one, not two, but numbers of applicants – that did not get past the concept paper stage that the review for why they did not succeed – in other words, they didn't – they were not able to get the grant and they felt like it was a total waste of time. And the reason they felt that it was a total waste of time was that the review was actually conducted by someone that had no knowledge of their concept paper nor did they have the reasons why the concept paper did not meet the requirements. 

So, I want to just recommend that the regulations governing the required review for failed applications include a member of the team that has actually reviewed the application or, at a minimum, include the notes for the reviewers detailing the areas that the application failed to meet the standards required. We need to do better in being able to show those who are applying why they didn't succeed and how they can succeed. 

I turn it back over to you. Thank you.

Chairman George Salem: Thank you, Heather. Ambassador Mark Green. 

Amb. Mark Green: Great. Thank you.

I will just be brief because I'll be largely repeating what I have said in previous sessions. First, the – and I'd like to associate myself, particularly with Sander’s remarks. I think he was very much on the mark. First off, the question of vetting – and I recognize that vetting is a broad term and there may be a different term we need to use.

If we can't get this right, I do not believe that the MEPPA program will survive, just to be very clear, based upon feedback that I've heard here in Washington. So, we have to figure this out. We've now spent at least three meetings raising the issue. So, I encourage the staff – we need to get this right and we need to get it right pretty quickly. 

Secondly, what I'm not hearing in the conversation – so much of what we've been talking about is how we move money. And that's an important part of the discussion, especially in the very trying circumstances that we see right now in West Bank Gaza. So it's an important discussion, but it's not why MEPPA exists. It does not exist to move money. It exists to advance understanding and peacebuilding. Those are outcomes. And so, I think we need to have a discussion about what the vision is, what are those outcomes, and what do we see that suggests we're moving towards an even and modest way? If we don't know where it is that we want to go, then any movement of money will suffice. So I think it's important that we take that on. We need to have that vision and we need to understand how each of these investments has been moving towards the outcome or is falling short. 

Then, finally – and some of you have heard me mention this in a previous session – I'm very concerned that each one of us has a glimpse of what's going on, but I'm not sure that we have had a discussion involving outside expertise that genuinely helps us to understand what is going on. There was – there's a reputable Palestinian polling organization that works with Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung which is a German democracy project and it shows that 80 percent of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza have never seen videos of what happened on October 7. 93 percent of those who have not seen the videos say they do not believe that Hamas has committed atrocities and they do not believe that Hamas has committed any of the acts that we have seen in international media.

That's a problem. If we cannot help to foster objective information sharing, I don't understand how we get to reconciliation and how we get to peacebuilding. So, I think that that's something that has to be front and center. It may not have been front and center at the beginning – and it probably should have been – but more significantly, given what's happened along the way, if we can't get to vetting and if we can't get to understanding what's going on and helping others to understand what's going on,  I'm hard pressed to see how we're going to make much progress. It's not to say that projects shouldn't be funded, but I I think we have to be careful when we characterize them as fulfilling the purpose of MEPPA or truly making a difference in outcomes. And I say all of those things reluctantly and sadly because I believe wholeheartedly in the cause of peace in the Middle East and in particular, in the West Bank and Gaza and Israel. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Chairman George Salem: Thank you, Ambassador Green. Turning now – I think our final presenter is Jen Stewart.

Jen Stewart: Thank you, everyone. And I, first, want to associate myself with the Chairman's remarks and other Board Members’ remarks in thanking the USAID team for the extraordinary work that you've done over the last couple of months in very challenging circumstances. Amy, to you and her team on the ground, thank you. And to Jacob's family, friends, and colleagues, I extend my sincere condolences. And in many ways I know that Jacob is standing in for other people on this call who have lost friends and loved ones over the last couple months. And I hope that a life dedicated to service, dedicated to peace, dedicated to the wellbeing of others, is our guiding light as we proceed. 

Before I make my remarks – George, at the beginning you had made an offer for Board members to join you for the briefing on the social media review. I would like to participate in that briefing, please.

Chairman George Salem: It will be extended to everyone. 

Jen Stewart: Thank you. 

And second, Amy, when you're responding to some of the Board member questions, one of the questions I have and I will defer to you on how to answer it in this forum, but I'm curious on your observations on what you can share at this point about what you're seeing from the hundred applicants. Are we attracting new applicants that have viable projects? Are we attracting applicants that have new angles that they want to take on peacebuilding efforts that we should be thinking about as the Board is building its recommendations? 

And I just want to pull forward a couple of the areas that I heard today that I want to associate myself with. First, I strongly endorse and agree with George's point that we need a mix of civic and business partnerships. I think we need to be focusing on healthcare right now, and I also think we need to be focusing on disinformation. 

I do want to continue to emphasize the point I've been making in the Board meetings that if we're going to maintain the reputation of this fund in the U.S. domestic context, including having Congress on a bipartisan basis continue to fund it, we need to make sure that we're also building in metrics in the programs that are selected and that's what's biasing some of my recommendations. It's not to disassociate from the value of some of the other ideas that have been put forward, but I think we need to get some concrete metrics and measurables on the table if we're gonna continue the fund. Thank you.

Chairman George Salem: Thank you, all, very much for the depth and breadth of your remarks and the positive and constructive nature of them. Let me, as I always do at the end of a board meeting, although we're over time, review what everyone said in summary form if I may. 

Farah started with that the grassroots work has never been more critical than ever and that she's inspired by the partners maintaining their work in this difficult time. She's concerned about a lack of a clear vision for Gaza and we need to get best in quote ‘game changing’ end quote regardless of the political landscape, and she encourages us to focus on youth and digital access, including youth dialogue with regional youth, and strengthen our support in the West Bank. 

Congressman Wexler agrees with Farah and myself that we must incorporate regional dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He's struck by the hopelessness of the moment, but he focuses on Egypt and Jordan and the Abraham Accord states as well as Saudi Arabia as opportunities to expand to regional actors in the process. He thinks that adding the regional dimension will be helpful. 

Rabbi Cohen echoes myself, Farah, and Congressman Wexler that a realistic appraisal is necessary about what is working and what is not. And getting more sophisticated about how we define peace. It is a longer conversation. He had three recommendations that the Partnership for Peace Fund continue its programming, and the peacebuilding community is resilient and the vast majority of Israelis and Palestinians want this program to work. And he finally suggests doubling the MEPPA funding to $100 million a year. And he's concerned about the huge rift in Israeli society. 

Ambassador Mladenov just returned from meetings with Israelis and Palestinians and emphasized that each side feels alone. It's a very important challenge and opportunity for the MEPPA programming. And he very much supports what Farah said about involvement of youth and opening up to other countries. He also wants to look at educational institutions. That was his first point. The second, looking at what the West Bank and Jerusalem – he's concerned about both – and the work that has been done there is very important, but it needs to be expanded. Third is deradicalization – the thing we heard from several of our Board members – that we really need to work to achieve deradicalization through educational institutions and through business opportunities such as joint ventures. And fourth is USAID needs to reach out more to the other countries and explore whether they will contribute to efforts or fund their own programs working alongside and coordinating with MEPPA. And fifth, Nickolay mentioned a conference in Cairo called Takween bringing together the poets and artists who are open-minded intellectuals, and that this was a very productive exercise that he encourages future work in that regard. 

Sander Gerber says that it's important to push back on extremism and focus on deradicalization, and we need to educate people on why Hamas is bad and how the PA is a barrier to peace. We need a pathway for responsible leadership and we need to incorporate the leadership of the Abraham Accord countries. In addition, he thinks we should train Palestinian journalists in Abraham Accord countries. And we must be able to vet grantees at an appropriate level. He also thinks that the USAID legal opinions regarding restrictions on vetting are not correct. 

Elliott Abrams follows up and supports Sander's comments on the vetting issues, including as he mentions – as he did in prior meetings – that the vetting for political appointees and this and all other administrations includes social media review and, the idea that there are legal limits is an impairment to proper vetting. Regarding MEPPA, the need to accomplish real programs is very important. The most recent fact sheet, trying to get people to work together is something that comes through, but he also wants – favors deradicalization but not an echo chamber – my word, echo chamber, for what Elliott was conveying – that we shouldn't all talk to like minded people. We need both sides to deal with people with different opinions if we're going to achieve the desired result. And if we can get – Elliott also posits that if we can get the Jordanian, Egyptian, Emirantis, and other normalized countries involved, that would be great, but the question is whether we have the authority to add these other countries. And I think that is fodder for another legal opinion where we can figure out how to work with the other countries if they don't help fund us – in parallel with us. And, finally, he asked a question about Chemonics and the Building Regional Economic Bridges program. He's skeptical of the beltway bandits, I must say it's a skepticism that many of us share, but how much goes to programming and how much goes to overhead in the BREB program. And I think that's an issue that the Mission should respond to. 

Rabbi Buchdahl – there's no important time for now to do peacebuilding in Rabbi Buchdahl’s opinion. We need to move closer to a path to peace. She supports deradicalization in both the Palestinian and Israeli sides, but we need to work with the extremes on both sides. She emphasizes. She recognizes the extremes in Israeli society as well as Palestinian. And she wants to help modify the silent majority in Palestine and Israel and its communities in this regard. And she asks whether there's any effort where political leadership training on the Palestinian side could take place. 

Heather Johnson posits the current difficulty, the current environment and the challenges that are presented thereby, and she posits that the PPF Board should receive updates regarding recipients meeting MEPPA’s objectives. We need greater accountability. Many applicants that she is aware of did not receive grants and it was a total waste of their time. She recommends that their required review for declined applicants should include a member of the team that actually reviewed the application. 

Mark Green – associated himself with Sander Gerber's remarks – is concerned that if we cannot get vetting right, then MEPPA will not survive. And he encourages staff to get proper levels of vetting input. His second point was that MEPPA exists to advance peacebuilding not to move money. Third, he's very concerned that we only have glimpses of what is going on, and some recent polling, which is very concerning, that 80 percent of the Palestinian population haven't ever seen videos of October 7, and he wants to make sure that issues are front and center. And I would add that if you were to pull members of Israeli society, many of them don't see on the Israeli press what is happening in Gaza. There needs to be more open information and dialogue in the press on both sides. And he wants to see different and better outcomes. 

And, finally, Jen Stewart associates herself with positive remarks, and wants the legal briefing, which I have asked the staff to arrange for all Board members who are interested on the issue of waiver and on the issue of vetting generally along the lines of what political appointees in this and every other administration received. She also posits the question of whether we are attracting different kinds of applicants and new angles to peacebuilding, which I think is a very constructive suggestion. She thinks we should focus on the disinformation on all sides, and thinks we should put more focus on healthcare, and she comes back to a point that we started these Board meetings with when we at our inaugural Board meeting, about building metrics of measure on how we measure progress. I think that's the thing we heard through several board members and I think that would be very helpful.

Okay, with that, let me see, is Congresswoman Lowey, was she able to dial in or can we hear her? I know she's listening, but can she speak? 

DFO Dan McDonald: May I just jump in here? 

Chairman George Salem: Please.

DFO Dan McDonald: I think that there were questions that were asked that are most appropriately answered in writing because of the detail involved, but I wanna summarize what we owe the Board based on your requests here. George summarized everything that I'm going to say, but specifically, there's a few questions I can answer quickly and a few that will respond to in writing. 

To Jen's question about new applicants and new approaches – yes, many new applicants and what I've heard anecdotally is that the applications we received were the kind of savviest that we've received so far. There seems to be a genuine appreciation for the updates that we've put into our solicitations, the details that we've added thanks to all of your recommendations, and an increasing understanding of what really makes for an exceptional application in terms of outreach to broader communities, the kind of political engagement that Rabbi Buchdahl mentioned, the sort of societal change, not only change amongst individuals. There's a sense that the community is understanding what we want and how it's different than what's maybe some of the more of the talk shop style approaches that peacebuilding work has traditionally taken, to use Elliott’s term, and so I can say yes, right? I can't commit to how many of our new partners will be new or not, but I can say that we've been encouraged by the quality of the applications we receive and new organizations jumping into this space. 

As far as working with Abraham Accords countries, yes. We don't need to have a detailed legal analysis for this because it's something we've examined already. The guiding light for the MEPPA legislation is that the program should advance trust and understanding between Israelis and Palestinians and an eventual two-state peace. They can be based anywhere. They can have other participants from anywhere, but that will be the standard that drives us. And so, I think, especially in this moment, this idea that the Abraham Accords and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process are no longer such kind of parallel and separate tracks, but are really – as we talk about engagement in Gaza and the cohesive future of the region, participation from Jordanians and Egyptians as we speak, it's clear that these things are not separate and that there's a real space here to make sure that our programming integrates those ideas as well. 

We owe some answers on BREB. I’ll just note that BREB –  that $87 million is for the entire lifetime and it's a maximum, and it shifts away as DFC takes more of the money. And so, if you compare that $87 million, it would be comparing to all of the grants over five years added together that we've issued, but I think you are right to ask questions about why we chose that approach, what the overhead is, and I think that's probably best answered in writing here. So we will get back to you on that. 

The review of applicants needs a person from the Board or detailed notes. That's something the Mission has really emphasized at least on the notes aspect, to Heather's question, making sure that those feedback sessions are meaningful. Separate from feedback sessions, I also spend quite a bit of time talking to people who are interested in maybe applying to talk about the standards that all of you have set for us and what we're really looking for in a strong application. I can't specifically speak with applicants about their applications, but I can in broad terms. And so in two different angles we're trying to make sure that people get the feedback they need and improve that process which does indeed need improvement. 

Objectives, goals, metrics – we have a lot to share in writing on that. What we were alluding to with the summer update is to kind of recheck our partners against those metrics given that the last time we did this was just before October 7. But we'll share and make sure you understand the metrics you're using and the results we're looking for. We will share that in writing. 

Political leadership training, civil society development is something USAID does broadly, and also an element that we really tried to emphasize and encourage in our grant solicitations. SO that is there, but I think is an area for growth and expansion certainly. 

The legal briefing George mentioned, we'll get back to the Board with options for scheduling that. And then the status of partners – I think heard loud and clear, we need to send you all more details in writing about where our partners have been fulfilling the specifics, where they've needed a bit of extra flexibility, where they've come up short, and that'll be a goal for our team to provide in short order.

So I just want to acknowledge all those questions, answer what I can, and we will be in touch as shortly as we can. So…

Chairman George Salem: Thank you all very much. This has been a very positive and constructive meeting. I think we – the Mission has many – and the leadership have many follow up tasks. And I think all of us are troubled and concerned, but we also see a way forward if we stick with the purposes of this very important legislation. And I thank you all for your time today. I apologize we went over, but the substance of each of the presenters' remarks were excellent. Thank you all very, very much. 

DFO Dan McDonald: And I think I have to be the one to conclude as the Designated Federal Officer. 

Chairman George Salem: Oh, by all means. 

DFO Dan McDonald: So, I formally will conclude this Board meeting and we'll be in touch very soon. Thank you, all.