Mayor Osaily meets USAID’s Mission Director

Mayor Khaled Osaily met today at his office in Hebron with Dr. Howard Sumka, USAID’s Mission Director for the West Bank and Gaza, accompanied by Arnold Haiman, USAID’s General Counsel, as well as by Jeff Leford and Fadi Khoury. The visit aimed at checking progress in the implementation of joint projects in the city and at examining project proposals in the field of infrastructure, roads and schools.

At the beginning of the meeting, Osaily thanked the American government and people for the support they provide to Palestinians and for the various projects implemented through USAID. He underlined the importance of executing additional projects to improve the lives of Palestinians and to provide job opportunities to combat unemployment.

In response to a question raised by Arnold Haiman about obstacles faced due to settler presence, Osaily said that the Old City of Hebron was transformed into a ghost-city because of aggressions by settlers against Palestinian residents and of security measures imposed by occupation authorities under the pretext of ensuring the security and safety of settlers. In this regard, more than 100 checkpoints and electronic gates exist in and around the Old City where Palestinians undergo endless checks, detentions and provocations. Moreover, the closing down of Al Shuhada Street has divided the city into two parts, hinders the optimal provision of services to Southern areas, and has led to huge suffering as Palestinians have to take long alternative routes to reach those areas. The freedom of religion, enshrined in international laws and treaties, is also violated on a daily basis on those electronic gates. Osaily also spoke of the negative impact of these measures on the Palestinian economy in Hebron and of obstacles created by the Israeli government who considers more than 60% of Hebron Governorate as a “C” area. This has seriously hindered the implementation of vital projects in the Governorate as was the case for the Industrial Zone planned in Tarkoumia which would have had an immensely positive impact on Hebron Governorate in particular and on the Palestinian economy in general had it been implemented, he added.

Concerning vital projects for which Hebron Municipality seeks funding, Osaily said that Hebron urgently needs infrastructure projects in the fields of water, roads, the youth, schools, as well as job-creating projects for recent graduates and the unemployed. He added that USAID has played a major role in supporting numerous projects in Hebron as well as in other Governorates. “We look forward to more support and additional projects in Hebron which is one of the largest and most highly populated Palestinian Governorates”, he said.

Dr. Sumka said that Hebron Municipality is considered as a real and wonderful partner when it comes to project implementation. “Through joint cooperation, you have succeeded in implementing a set of vital projects in an optimum manner. This gives good reason for implementing additional joint projects and for further improving the lives of Hebron inhabitants”, he added