The United States and Israel Sign a $50 Million Agreement
on Scanning Equipment for Crossings

December 09, 2005

In the photos are U.S. Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones (Left) and Director General of the Ministry of Defense of Israel Jacob Toren.Photo By: U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv/Matty Stern

The United States and Israel signed an agreement Thursday evening to provide state-of-the-art scanners and other inspection equipment to facilitate the passage of people and goods at crossing points between Israel and the West Bank and Gaza.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones, USAID Mission Director James Bever, Director General of the Ministry of Defense of Israel Jacob Toren, and Director of the Financial Department of the Ministry of Defense Joseph Strauss participated in the signing ceremony. Jones remarked during the ceremony that this agreement "represents the strong U.S. support for Israel's courageous disengagement from Gaza and especially our commitment to Israel's security."

Under the auspices of the agreement, the U.S. Government, acting through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will finance $50 million to procure, deliver and install state-of-the-art scanning devices at crossing points between Israel and the West Bank and Gaza. The Government of Israel commits to effectively operate and maintain the detection equipment, which is to be used exclusively for facilitating the movement of people and goods through the crossings.

The American agreement with Israel compliments an established USAID program that provides border-crossing assistance to the Palestinians. This program will significantly contribute to the economic revival of the West Bank and Gaza by providing technology that will speed up security inspection times, allowing for the passage of up to 600 trucks per day.

Jones emphasized that "the Memorandum of Understanding builds, of course, on the Agreement on Movement and Access that was reached by the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority in coordination with Secretary Rice on November 15th. As such, the MOU is another important step towards achieving the vision of two states, living side-by-side in peace and security."