The Palestine Telecommunications (PalTel) Group Foundation for Community Development is a philanthropic organization operating primarily in the Palestinian territories. It is a project of the PalTel Group, a phone and internet provider which is one of the largest employers in the region aside from the governing authorities, and claims to have a goal of investing in Palestinian society in addition to offering communications services. The corporation and its foundation place a particular emphasis on programs for young people and women. ^{1 2}

The PalTel Foundation has run programs in collaboration with the Palestinian governing authorities, as well as with Stanford University in California. ^{3 4}

Initiatives

PalTel runs a variety of educational, vocational, grantmaking, and recognition programs for residents of the Palestinian territories and for other organizations operating in the region. ⁵ In 2020, it provided about a dozen program offerings to individuals, families, and schools, according to its annual report. ⁶

Scholarships

The PalTel Scholarship Program is a collaborative initiative between the foundation and the Palestinian ministry of higher education. The scholarship is offered primarily to aspiring undergraduate students at Palestinian colleges and universities. The last round of scholarship awards listed on the foundation’s website was issued in 2018. ⁷

Technology

Code for Palestine is a computer programming and information technology education and mentorship program for Palestinian high school-age students which was launched in 2015. The foundation has previously relied on volunteer undergraduate instructors from Stanford University in California to help run the program’s summer component. ⁸ Over 300 students partook of the program’s various offerings in 2020. ⁹

The Foundation’s Hour of Code effort partners with the United Nations Relief & Works Agency (UNRWA). ¹⁰

Jobs

Right for Decent Life is a vocational training, placement, and continuing education program primarily aimed at assisting Palestinians living below the poverty line. The project is intended to identify and create work opportunities for, support existing businesses of, and provide direct financial benefits or other resources to poor households. ¹¹ Over 400 families benefited from the program as of 2020. ¹²

Awards

The Palestine International Award for Excellence and Creativity is a program intended to be an incentive for individual public officials and organization staff, as well as other groups providing services in the region, to achieve greater results. Rewards include both formal recognition and financial grants. ¹³

Criticism

In January 2008, a team of World Bank Policy Division researchers published a report on market competition within the telecommunications industry of the Palestinian territories. The report noted that PalTel controlled as much as 80 percent of the market at the time and argued that the corporation had a de facto monopoly, with PalTel subsidiaries also taking significant market shares and competition being relegated to small unlicensed providers. The report recommended that the Palestinian governing authorities facilitate the introduction of a second major phone, internet, and other information technology services provider to the region. ¹⁴

Leadership

Mohamad Saleem is the head of operations at the PalTel Group Foundation. He is primarily for responsible for managing the organization’s projects in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian territory between Israel to its west and the Mediterranean Sea to its east; the Strip is also bordered by Egypt. Previously, he held a different supervisory position in Gaza. Saleem holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the Islamic University of Gaza. ¹⁵

Ammar Lahham is the projects administrator at the PalTel Group Foundation. He previously worked on implementing the organization’s technology and education programs. Lahham holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Philadelphia University of Jordan. ¹⁶

Iman Sarraj is the projects coordinator for the Gaza Strip at the PalTel Group Foundation. She is a career nonprofit sector employee with other groups involved in the region. Sarraj holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the Islamic University of Gaza. ¹⁷

Funding

The PalTel Foundation received over $8 million from the United Nations (UN) Development Program in 2021. ¹⁸

In 2022, the PalTel Group reported $525,403 in total assets and $298,825 in total liabilities, along with a net income of $62,997. ¹⁹

1. “About Us.” PalTel Group Foundation. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://paltelfoundation.ps/posts/view/8901/who_we_are&lang=1
2. “About The Group.” PalTel Group. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://www.paltelgroup.ps/#about
3. “PalTel Group Scholarship Program.” PalTel Group Foundation. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://paltelfoundation.ps/posts/view/8905/PalTel_Group_Scholarship_Program&lang=1
4. “Code for Palestine.” PalTel Group Foundation. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://paltelfoundation.ps/posts/view/8911/Code_for_Palestine&lang=1
5. PalTel Group Foundation. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://paltelfoundation.ps/index.php?lang=1
6. PalTel Group Foundation 2020 Annual Report, PalTel Foundation. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://www.paltelfoundation.ps/uploads/Foundation_English.pdf
7. “PalTel Group Scholarship Program.” PalTel Group Foundation. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://paltelfoundation.ps/posts/view/8905/PalTel_Group_Scholarship_Program&lang=1
8. “Code for Palestine.” PalTel Group Foundation. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://paltelfoundation.ps/posts/view/8911/Code_for_Palestine&lang=1
9. PalTel Group Foundation 2020 Annual Report, PalTel Foundation. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://www.paltelfoundation.ps/uploads/Foundation_English.pdf
10. PalTel Group Foundation 2020 Annual Report, PalTel Foundation. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://www.paltelfoundation.ps/uploads/Foundation_English.pdf
11. “The Right for Decent Life Program.” PalTel Group Foundation. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://paltelfoundation.ps/posts/view/8920/The_Right_of_Decent_Life_Program&lang=1
12. PalTel Group Foundation 2020 Annual Report, PalTel Foundation. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://www.paltelfoundation.ps/uploads/Foundation_English.pdf
13. Palestine International Award for Excellence and Creativity.” PalTel Group Foundation. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://paltelfoundation.ps/posts/view/8918/Palestine_International_Award_for_Excellence_and_Creativity&lang=1
14. Carlo Maria Rossotto et al. “Introducing Competition In The Palestinian Telecommunications Sector.” World Bank Policy Division. January 1, 2008. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-206729/
15. ^[1]“Team.” PalTel Group Foundation. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://paltelfoundation.ps/posts/view/8991/Team&lang=1
16. ^[1]“Team.” PalTel Group Foundation. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://paltelfoundation.ps/posts/view/8991/Team&lang=1
17. ^[1]“Team.” PalTel Group Foundation. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://paltelfoundation.ps/posts/view/8991/Team&lang=1
18. “Supporting information relating to the detailed annual review of the financial situation, 2021.” United Nations Development Program. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/dp2022-28_Appendix%20VII%20to%20Annex%20I.pdf
19. “Consolidated Financial Statements.” Palestine Telecommunications Company. December 31, 2022. Accessed May 7, 2023. https://www.paltelgroup.ps/uploads/Paltel_December_2022_WD_-_English..pdf