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BGU Students Develop “Business for Peace”

BGU Students Develop “Business for Peace”

March 22, 2013

Business & Management, Robotics & High-Tech

Can economic cooperation lead to peace between Israelis and Palestinians?

That is the hope behind the innovative Business for Peace competition at BGU’s Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management. The competition was first conceived by Guilford Glazer himself, who resides in Los Angeles, California. Glazer also generously covers the cost of the competition and the prizes for the winners.

Students and faculty from all of Israel’s academic institutions were invited to submit “groundbreaking” proposals, which would help develop the Palestinian economy and promote cooperation between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi; Sagi Bernstein; Dor Leitman; Marty Karp representing Guilford Glazer

BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi; Sagi Bernstein; Dor Leitman; Marty Karp representing Guilford Glazer

Two students from BGU’s Department of Software Engineering, Sagi Bernstein and Dor Leitman, took the $20,000 first prize in the competition with a project called iPAL, an online system that facilitates outsourcing technology projects to Palestinian software engineers.

“There are plenty of engineers in the Palestinian Authority, and there is plenty of unemployment too. At the same time, Israel has a high demand for outsourcing. We realized that we could build a connection, which would benefit both sides,” says Dor Leitman.

“Today these companies focus on workers from India and China, but we can look even closer to home and provide suitable and appropriate work for Palestinians,” adds Leitman.

The proposed iPal Web site will include Israeli and Palestinian members, who offer technological services, job opportunities, and projects that require implementation. Users can be both private individuals and companies.

Each user will have a profile with personal data, relevant information, previous projects and recommendations from other site users. The goal is to create a cooperative economic and employment environment Research in which each side seeks out the other and, in the long run, gets to know each other.

“Any Israeli business looking for a developer could enter the Web site and connect with people on the Palestinian side,” says Dr. Miki Malul, one of the faculty members, from the Guilford Glazer Faculty of Business and Management, overseeing the competition.

“It is possible to subvert geographic restrictions virtually. Once the connection between the two parties is established, they will be able to work together by way of electronic communications or in the case of Israelis and Palestinians, even in person,” says Dr. Malul.

Read more about the competition and the second and third place winners >>