On November 10, 2009, U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv Deputy Chief of Mission, Luis G. Moreno, spoke at the opening ceremony for the Jalameh Vehicle Crossing. He highlighted the expected impact of the crossing on facilitating the transfer of people and goods from Israel's Gilboa Region to the Palestinian Authority's city of Jenin. The U.S. Government funded the project through a USAID grant and worked with local partners to implement it. The Quartet Representative Tony Blair, the Deputy Mission Director of USAID West Bank/Gaza, several Government of Israel ministers and local representatives, and the Governor of Jenin also spoke. (less info)