U.S. Department of State

President Obama’s Middle East Trip

U.S. President Barack Obama waves as he arrives at the Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, March 20, 2013. [AP Photo]

This week, President Barack Obama is making the first trip of his second term; he will visit Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan March 20-23, 2013. The White House will beposting updates from the road and livestreaming several of the President’s events on whitehouse.gov/live, including:

Wednesday, March 20 (2:05 PM ET) — President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu hold a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem;

Thursday March 21 (11:00 AM ET) — President Obama delivers a speech at the Jerusalem Convention Center; and

Friday March 22 (11:45 AM ET) — President Obama and King Abdullah II of Jordan hold a press conference in… more »

Mosque Attack in the West Bank

Press Statement
Victoria Nuland
Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
June 19, 2012

The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms today’s provocative attack on a mosque in the West Bank village of Kfar Jabaa near Ramallah. Hateful, dangerous, and provocative actions such as these are never justified.

We note that the Israeli Government has condemned this heinous attack and pledged to bring the perpetrators to justice. We look to Israeli law enforcement officials to do so expeditiously.

United States Contributes to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East

The United States is pleased to announce an initial 2012 contribution of $55 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

The $55 million contribution will provide critical health, education, and humanitarian services to five million Palestinian refugees in the region. Of this contribution, $29 million will support UNRWA’s core services in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza; $24 million will support UNRWA’s emergency programs in the West Bank and Gaza; and two million will support UNRWA’s ongoing relief assistance in Lebanon for those displaced during the 2007 conflict in Nahr al Bared refugee camp.

As UNRWA’s largest bilateral donor, the United States recognizes the critical role the Agency plays in assisting Palestinian refugees and maintaining regional stability and calls upon other donors to enhance their support for UNRWA. The United States encourages UNRWA to maintain the neutrality of its operations, expand its donor base, enhance its strategic communications, and maximize programmatic efficiencies in order to better serve refugees.

In 2011, the United States provided just under $250 million to UNRWA, including $146 million to its General Fund, $75 million to its West Bank/Gaza emergency programs, $15 million to emergency programs in Lebanon, and $10 million for the construction of five new schools in Gaza, which will serve an estimated 10,000 schoolchildren.