New York, NY — The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) applauds Congress for passing the bipartisan Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act, which will provide $250 million over five years to expand coexistence between Arabs and Israelis and peacebuilding programs in the region and support projects to strengthen the Palestinian economy. This historic legislation will help create an environment in which the parties can eventually achieve peace in the Middle East.

“After years of advocacy by JCPA, ALLMEPS, and other organizations, we could not be more pleased that Congress has passed this critical legislation and that it has been named after Congresswoman Nita Lowey, whom JCPA recently honored with our prestigious Tikkun Olam Award,” said David Bernstein, President and CEO of JCPA. “This legislation lays the groundworks for future peace in the Middle East that Nita has worked so hard for.”

The Middle East Partnership for Peace will promote and support contact, cooperation, dialogue, shared community building, peaceful coexistence, joint economic development, and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. JCPA believes this legislation is a necessary step to support shared society programs, which is critical to mitigating and ultimately resolving the conflict. With proper investment, a peaceful, two-state outcome is truly possible. In 2018, JCPA’s network unanimously passed a Resolutions on Israeli-Palestinian Coexistence in support of the fund.