U.S. Consul-General: Israel Must Halt All Settlement Activities
http://english.wafa.ps/?action=detail&id=12784

Ramallah, June 29, 2009 (WAFA - PLO news agency)- The U.S. Consul General in
Jerusalem, Jake Walles, said, Monday, that Israel must abide by its
obligations in the Road Map and halt all settlement activity including
'natural growth.'

He added that Both, the Palestinian and Israeli parties, should take steps
to move forward with the negotiations and work towards a Two-State solution,
and the establishment of a Palestinian state living side by side in peace
with its Israeli Neighbors.

During the Consul's visit to the Amideast, he launched the Abraham Lincoln
Incentive Grants, to enable Palestinian students to study in American
universities and colleges.

Walles said that these grants come in the context of what the U.S. President
Barack Obama said in his Cairo speech on building bridges between the United
States and the Islamic world. He specified that in this case, the grant aims
to create opportunities for Palestinian students to learn and become capable
of building a Palestinian state, recalling that President Obama expressed
the United States desire to see a Two-State solution come to life.

This grant is the first tranche of $300,000 of special funding announced by
the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, during her visit to Ramallah
last March. The funding will pay for grants to some 100 Palestinian students
to study at U.S. universities and colleges over the next five years.

Walles met with Palestinian students during a "Study in the USA" advisory
session, in which students from the Gaza Strip participated through
Video-conference.

The U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem said in a press release that, the
Consul-General commended the Palestinians' appreciation of education,
stressing that the U.S. government will support the Palestinians
academically to achieve of their goals through Lincoln Grant in addition to
other cultural exchange programs, to enable them to contribute to the
building of a future Palestinian state.

The statement continued that Wallace asked students about their plans for
future study in the United States. A recorded video message from
Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Judith McHale was
viewed, in which she explained to them the reason for naming grant program
after Abraham Lincoln, saying: 'Abraham Lincoln is one of the most famous
U.S. presidents who put an end to slavery and preserved the unity of the
American nation'.

Walles expressed hope that the inspiring story of the humble beginnings of
Lincoln and his entry to the White House to be the sixteenth president of
the United States of America would inspire Palestinian youth as it inspired
several generations of American youth to pursue their dreams despite all
obstacles.