[…] The teens have been brought to Fairhaven as part of a project sponsored by the Northeast Maritime Institute (NMI) and supported by the State Department. For three weeks, they will live and work together as the crew on Fritha, a traditionally rigged sailing vessel. Each day, a team made up of a Palestinian and an Israeli will be responsible for the ship’s maintenance, including meals and cleaning.

[…] Substantial progress has been made and will continue to be made in advancing the Middle East peace process, says Assistant Secretary of State David Welch. The United States has focused on four tracks to advance the Middle East peace process since the November 2007 Annapolis Conference: supporting the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations; building the institutions of a Palestinian state; improving the conditions on the ground; and maintaining international and regional support for the peace talks, Welch says.

[…] United States Contributes Nearly $28 Million to Relief Effort for Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon The United States has contributed an additional $17.81 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) for reconstruction and emergency relief at the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp in Lebanon. Fighting during the summer of 2007 destroyed the camp and displaced over 30,000 people.

[…] The participants reiterated their steadfast support to the states represented here today in the face of any threats to their sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. Agreeing that the peace and security of the region are critical to international peace and security, to the health of the global economy, and represent vital national interests for all, the participants resolved to continue their longstanding cooperation against such challenges and threats.

[…] The United States is deeply concerned about the latest violence in Lebanon. We condemn the car bomb explosion today that killed Saleh al-Aridi, a ranking official in the Lebanese Democratic Party, and wounded four people in the town of Baisour, and call upon all parties to respect the rule of law. No one has a right to deprive Lebanese citizens of their political freedom, their right to move freely within their country, or their sense of safety and security.