Washington DC, October 5 - The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) and the Foundation for Middle East Peace (FMEP) sponsored a joint briefing today by several members of the Palestinian Negotiations Support Unit (NSU) at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. The speakers included: Maen Ariekat, Director General of the NSU, Lamia Matta, Legal Advisor to the NSU and Khaled Elgindy, Policy Analyst, each of whom discussed the current situation on the ground in Gaza.

The NSU is in Washington to brief lawmakers, Bush Administration officials and others as part of a regularly scheduled visit to the nation’s capital.

Maen Ariekat’s opening remarks acknowledged the peaceful withdrawal of Israeli settlers from the Gaza Strip and parts of the northern West Bank. He expressed concern however, that Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank, particularly around Jerusalem was intensifying.

Mr. Ariekat went on to discuss additional issues after the disengagement on which the Palestinian and Israeli sides have yet to reach an agreement. This includes: the Rafah crossing into Egypt, the opening of the Gaza airport and seaport, allowing a passageway between Gaza and the West Bank, lifting internal closures in the West Bank, access to clean water, and the path of Israel’s wall in the West Bank.

Lamia Matta, discussed the water crisis in Gaza in detail. She compared the standard of living in Gaza to other parts of the world and noted that within a few years 7 out of 10 people living in Gaza will be below the poverty rate unless immediate action is taken. Ms. Matta noted that the Quartet’s Special Envoy to the region, James Wolfensohn, who is the former president of the World Bank, has been spending a lot of time in the Occupied Territories and Israel. Both Wolfensohn’s research and a recent World Bank report confirm that in order to create to create a sustainable economy, the Gaza Strip must access global markets and must receive direct foreign investment.

Khaled Elgindy discussed the path of Israel’s barrier in the West Bank. He illustrated with maps and photos the ongoing construction of Israel’s wall around Jerusalem. He stressed the need to keep Arab East Jerusalem available as the future capital of a Palestinian state and noted that without it there could be no state. Mr. Elgindy also showed maps of the West Bank where Israel has built settlements that aim to cut the West Bank in half. According to him, West Bank land lost to the barrier, settlement blocks and the Jordan Valley would confiscate approximately 46% of the West Bank from the Palestinians.

He went on to note that the path of Israel’s wall and the pattern of settlement construction in the West Bank put in jeopardy the prospects for a peaceful two-state solution. Mr. Elgindy noted that the two-state solution is an integral part of President George Bush’s vision for the region and called the international community and the U.S. to take steps to ensure that this vision can still be fulfilled.