Israeli Customs directorate organized Customs seminar for Palestinian Customs employees

The seminar is organized by the Israeli Customs Directorate and financed by USAID. 25 Palestinians participate in the seminar
 
Palestinian customs employees are participating in a two weeks customs seminar held at the Jerusalem Regency hotel.
 
The seminar, which is first of its kind, is organized by the Israeli Customs Directorate and financed by USAID.
 
USAID is an independent federal government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. The agency supports long-term and equitable economic growth and advances U.S. foreign policy objectives.
 
25 Palestinians participate in the first seminar which will be followed by a second seminar later this month.
 
The first seminar was opened by Mr. Reuven Meltzer, deputy head of the Israeli Customs directorate, and Mr. Hatem Yussef, director general of the Palestinian Customs Authority.
 
Palestinian participants receive lectures in general Customs issues including classification of goods, valuation of goods, free trade agreements, bonded warehouses, export and import formalities, Intellectual Property etc.
 
The Palestinian Authority and Israel currently maintain a customs arrangement regulating the movement of goods. The Paris Protocol, signed in 1994 and ratified in 1995, created one “customs envelope” in Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territory (“OPT”), whereby goods entering into the envelope are taxed only once and goods within the envelope are not taxed.
 
In a statement issued by the parties it was noted that the knowledge gained by the participants is necessary in order to increase co-operation between the parties.