Pelosi Opens Conference to Support Palestinian Companies with $250 Mln

Pelosi Opens Conference to Support Palestinian Companies with $250 Mln

Palestinians underscored the two-state solution and demanded US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi take practical steps to recognize Palestine as a country.

Pelosi had kicked off a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Wednesday.

Israeli leaders tried to limit her visit to emphasizing bilateral ties and ignoring her statements about a two-state solution.

Pelosi participated on Thursday in Ramallah at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) conference for supporting Palestinian commercial and industrial projects worth $250 million.

She said the US is committed to promoting peace and security to Palestinians and Israelis and to supporting a two-state solution.

The conference launched the USAID Small and Medium Enterprise Assistance for Recovery and Transition (SMART) to help Palestinian businesses recover and grow after the coronavirus pandemic.

The funds for the program were allocated through the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act (MEPPA) that was passed by Congress in December 2020.

It includes US funding for Israeli-Palestinian dialogue programs and Palestinian business development.

While visiting the Knesset earlier this week, she reiterated the unwavering US support for Israel.

Pelosi said the United States is proud to have Israel as an ally and will continue supporting its security and stability, amid the threat from Iran.

“We are together in