(AFP) - The US government launched a $10 million project on Sunday to improve access to wastewater treatment and water for Palestinian Authority farmers in the Jericho area.
The project announced Sunday aims to increase the number of homes connected to the Jericho area's wastewater treatment plant, previously built with Japanese assistance, by about 10,000 residents. That would leave about 70 percent of Jericho residents connected, according to the US consulate in Jerusalem, which said recycled wastewater would then be available to area date farmers. Consul General Donald Blome said, "The US administration and President Trump personally remain committed to a just and lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis, and a central element of that peace is a thriving economy and real opportunities for Palestinians throughout the West Bank and Gaza." US envoy Jason Greenblatt attended but did not comment on US peace efforts or the just signed Fatah-Hamas reconciliation deal.