MEI Fellow Spearheads New Approach to Accelerate the High-Tech Economy in Palestine

MEI Fellow Avner Halperin and his research partners, Palestinian entrepreneur Mahmoud Khweis and Ely Sandler (MPP 2023), conducted a major research project that outlines a blueprint for rebooting the Palestinian tech ecosystem. To do this, they propose creating a champion for Palestinian technology in the form of a new entity called the Global Palestinian Innovation Foundation (GPI), which they detail in their May 2022 report “Time to Reboot: A Blueprint for the Palestinian Tech Sector.” GPI will be independent and, they hope, have global backing which will help drive change in the West Bank and kickstart the Palestinian tech sector.

Halperin and his co-authors—who are Israeli and Palestinian— have no illusion that GPI will be a panacea for the Israel-Palestine conflict; however, they hope that in creating economic growth and increased collaboration in the region, it will contribute to building a foundation of lasting trust between their peoples.

In an interview with Harvard Kennedy School’s Office of Communications and Public Affairs (OCPA), Halperin discussed the new approaches to accelerate the high-tech economy in Palestine and connect the Palestinian economy with the international tech sector as outlined in the report. This interview was conducted by OCPA’s Susan Hughes and published on HKS’s website on August 30, 2022. It has been edited for length.