May 27, 2011

On May 26, USIP welcomed a Palestinian delegation from the West Bank town of Qalqilya. Invited by the Sister City Program of Gainesville, Inc. in Gainesville, Florida, the group offered perspectives about the evolving realities of occupation and voiced continued support for enhancing dialogue between Qalqilya and their sister city of Kfar Saba, Israel.

The delegation included:

• Samir Dawabsha, Mayor of Qalqilya
• Yousef Odeh, Director of Education for Qalqilya
• Dr. Ramez Abdallah, Medical Director of the Qalqilya Municipal Hospital
• Marouf Zahran, former mayor of Qalqilya and currently Deputy Minister of Civil Affairs of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA)

"We're co-funding projects and building trust to weaken extremists on both sides and widen relations among the communities" said Marouf Zahran.

Dr. Ramez Abdallah spoke about a recent event involving a patient requiring medical attention. Insufficient medical equipment at Qalqilya's municipal hospital redirected the ambulance to Kfar Saba's hospital across the Israeli border. When Israeli soldiers refused access to the ambulance at the border crossing, Mr. Zahran, then Qalqilya's mayor, telephoned his counterpart, Kfar Saba mayor Yehuda Ben-Hemo, to request the emergency vehicle's clearance. The patient arrived at the hospital two hours later. Acknowledging good relations between the city mayors Dr. Abdallah added, "We hope that in the future relations will improve without all these obstacles."

The sister cities are currently coordinating about use of water resources and waste management. "I think city councils and mayors can play a very important role in all these issues," said Mayor Dawabsha.

The U.S. has been dedicated to resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict for decades. In an effort to broaden the dialogue and assist in a peaceful resolution to the conflict, USIP has engaged key business and civic leaders on internal Israeli and Palestinian dynamics.

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