He added that Both, the Palestinian and Israeli parties, should take steps to move forward with the negotiations and work towards a Two-State solution, and the establishment of a Palestinian state living side by side in peace with its Israeli Neighbors.

During the Consul’s visit to the Amideast, he launched the Abraham Lincoln Incentive Grants, to enable Palestinian students to study in American universities and colleges.

Walles said that these grants come in the context of what the U.S. President Barack Obama said in his Cairo speech on building bridges between the United States and the Islamic world. He specified that in this case, the grant aims to create opportunities for Palestinian students to learn and become capable of building a Palestinian state, recalling that President Obama expressed the United States desire to see a Two-State solution come to life.

This grant is the first tranche of $300,000 of special funding announced by the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, during her visit to Ramallah last March. The funding will pay for grants to some 100 Palestinian students to study at U.S. universities and colleges over the next five years.

Walles met with Palestinian students during a “Study in the USA” advisory session, in which students from the Gaza Strip participated through Video-conference.

The U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem said in a press release that, the Consul-General commended the Palestinians’ appreciation of education, stressing that the U.S. government will support the Palestinians academically to achieve of their goals through Lincoln Grant in addition to other cultural exchange programs, to enable them to contribute to the building of a future Palestinian state.

The statement continued that Wallace asked students about their plans for future study in the United States. A recorded video message from Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Judith McHale was viewed, in which she explained to them the reason for naming grant program after Abraham Lincoln, saying: 'Abraham Lincoln is one of the most famous U.S. presidents who put an end to slavery and preserved the unity of the American nation'.

Walles expressed hope that the inspiring story of the humble beginnings of Lincoln and his entry to the White House to be the sixteenth president of the United States of America would inspire Palestinian youth as it inspired several generations of American youth to pursue their dreams despite all obstacles.