The American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) held a reception on Monday, Oct. 6th to welcome a delegation of Palestinians from the Stone and Marble Industry. The reception, held at the Capital Hilton, brought the 15-person delegation together with ATFP Board Members and staff, as well as leaders from the Arab-American community, including PLO Mission Charge’ d’ affaires Dr. Nabil Abuznaid and Commercial Attache Ramzi Issa.

ATFP President, Dr. Ziad Asali, opened the event with brief remarks, commending the delegation on their efforts to promote a vital sector of the Palestinian economy and wishing them success on the rest of their trip. Larry Walther, the Director of the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), then introduced the delegation and explained how a meeting in Bethlehem during the Palestine Investment Conference led to this visit. Dr. Ihab Khalil, Executive Director of the Palestinian Union of Marble and Stone Industry, concluded the remarks by giving some background on the Stone and Marble Industry and explaining what the delegation hopes to accomplish during their visit.

The delegation, whose trip is being sponsored by USTDA, is going next to Indiana for business meetings, followed by the “StonExpo” Convention in Las Vegas, where they will explore new commercial opportunities and inform American businesses on the latest developments in the stone industry sector in the West Bank.

The stone and marble sector in Palestine accounts for 4% of the Palestinian Gross National Product (GNP) and 5% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Many leading Palestinian companies have already successfully entered the American and European markets.