11-15-2014 Can Internship Program Build High-Tech Bridge Between Israel and Palestinians? - Naomi Zeveloff The Forward

http://forward.com/articles/208868/can-internship-program-build-high-tech-bridge-betw/?p=all

 

…Some West Bank entrepreneurs say that the major impediment to tech development in the Palestinian territory isn't young techies' lack of exposure to high-tech firms so much as the Israeli occupation itself. On the one hand, the West Bank tech industry has made strides in recent years, attracting millions of dollars in startup investments, and now accounts for six percent of the Palestinian economy. "There is a sense that given the whole political context, tech could be an industry that would be relatively stable," said PIP's Fenster. "All you need to have a startup company is laptops and an internet connection and so the feeling is that there is an agility and flexibility with high tech that could be useful within the Israeli-Palestinian context."

But on the other hand, Israel's restrictions have inhibited the Palestinian tech industry from reaching its full potential. Abudaka points to the fact that Israel won't allow 3G access — which the Civil Administration contends is for security reasons — in the West Bank as one impediment. Another has to do with education. While Israeli universities can access scholars from all over the world, West Bank universities must first seek permission from Israel to bring in foreign instructors. Then there's the fact that Israel controls imports into the West Bank, which can lead to lengthy delays — an issue the Civil Administration said it is working to address. The result is that while the Palestinian tech scene has pockets of innovation it's also mainly a service economy providing software development for foreign companies — including Israel — without making major breakthroughs of its own…

Posted by Judith Ferster, AIME member

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