Update November 2000: Palestine Territories

1. Introduction

The Palestinian Information Technology Association (PITA) was active in organizing various lectures and discussions dealing with the legal aspects for the Internet and for telecommunications within Palestine in general. PITA had invited international lecturers to speak at these events, attempting to bring a different perspective to the participants. However, PITA was not the only body who instigated some activity within the IS Community, the EUMEDIS Focal Point Coordinator held a workshop, CISCO Chairman visits Birzeit University, and Paltel signed an agreement with Startec to provide VoIP services to the Palestinian market.

2. Last Developments in the promotion of IS

2.1 CALL Actions

A Call for Proposal was issued on September 28, for the establishment of "University Information Technology Centres of Excellence (UITCE)" through private and donor funding. The American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) and the Palestinian Information Technology Association (PITA), issued the Call. The demand for training stems from the potential seen arising within IT-orientated industries in the region. An information seminar is scheduled for early October.

2.2 COMM Actions

Mr Hussam Najah Husseini of the Government Computer Centre and EUMEDIS Focal Point Coordinator held the "First EUMEDIS Workshop" on July 6 at the Grand Park Hotel in Ramallah. The main purpose of the workshop was to try and promote and in turn obtain Palestinian proposals within the EUMEDIS context. Not only were the objectives of the EUMEDIS Initiative presented but also the five sectors of application being information and communication technologies applied to education, e-commerce and economic cooperation, healthcare, multimedia access to cultural heritage and tourism, and information and communication technologies applied in industry and innovation. Mr Tareq Maayah from Hi-Tek Engineering gave a presentation outlining the ESIS II Initiative to the attendees of the workshop.

On September 26, the Chairman of CISCO Systems Corporation, Mr John Morgridge, visited Birzeit University to inspect the Regional Cisco Network Academy residing at the university. The university intends extend the academy by opening and cooperating with ten other local academies that include five industrial schools and five other universities in the Palestinian Territories. Not only did Mr Morgridge make a speech, but also the Minister of Economy and Trade, Mr Maher Al-Masri, and the President of Birzeit University, Dr Hanna Nasser. Mr Nasser announced the new program being instigated at the university called BIT (Birzeit Information Technology Unit), and plans for establishing an IT Centre of Excellence and on-campus Technology Park.

On August 31, a presentation was made by Mr Niall Sclater, Manager of the Centre for Educational Systems at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland. The event was organized by Birzeit University as a means of acquiring interested parties to collaborate with them in proposals for the EUMEDIS Initiative. The university presented two ideas for projects, one being for a Multimedia Cyber Classroom and the other a Staff Development and Evaluation Program. Mr Sclater explained and highlighted the applications and the concept of the Cyber Classroom.

A Focus Meeting was held on September 13 at the PITA Office in Ramallah discussing the issue "The Current Status of Telecommunication in Palestine: Legal and Regulatory". PITA and the Public Affairs Office at the US Consulate General of Jerusalem jointly organized the Meeting. There were many participants from both the public and private sectors.

PITA, along with the Public Affairs Office at the US Consulate General of Jerusalem organized a lecture on the topic "The Current Telecommunication Law in Palestine". Guest speaker was Mr Craig Blakeley (Telecom/Internet Legal Expert). The lecture was held on September 13 at the Cleopatra Hall at the Grand Park Hotel, in Ramallah.

On September 14, Mr Jeffrey H. Matsuura, co-author of "Law of the Internet" and "The Case Against Internet Law", was guest speaker at a public lecture on the topic "Developing The Internet in Palestine". The lecture was organized by PITA, in collaboration with the Public Affairs Office at the US Consulate General of Jerusalem and was held at the Al-Bireh Municipality Hall in Al-Bireh.

"The Importance of an Effective Regulator in Palestine" was the central topic of interest at the round table discussion organized by both PITA and the Public Affairs Office at the US Consulate General of Jerusalem. The discussion was held on September 14, at the Grand Park Hotel in Ramallah. Those who attended were from both the public and private sectors. Some attendees were representatives from the Ministry of Post & Telecommunications, Ministry of Economy & Trade, Paltel, DAI-MAP and Birzeit University, to name a few.

2.3 EXPE Actions

Palestinian Telecommunications Company (Paltel) made an agreement with Startec Global Communications Corporation (an intergrated communications VoIP provider) where inbound and outbound VoIP services will be delivered to the Palestinian market. The agreement is the first between Paltel and the US Company. The agreement was made in early July in Ramallah. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafet expressed his support of Startec's efforts to provide other IP services, including e-commerce, in Palestine.