American Consul General Congratulates Palestinian Students Attending the Coca-Cola Global Business Institute

American Consul General Daniel Rubinstein congratulated 13 Palestinian university students at a ceremony onJune 13 at the National Beverage Company in Beitunya on their selection to participate in the Global BusinessInstitute at Indiana University’s prestigious Kelley School of Business. The students, from universities in theWest Bank and Gaza, will be joined by undergraduate students from several countries in the Middle East andNorth Africa, spending one month learning about business and entrepreneurship, while participating in acultural exchange with their peers in the United States.

This program, co-sponsored by the Coca-Cola Company and the U.S. Department of State, and implementedlocally in cooperation with Partnership for a New Beginning (PNB), represents an alliance of public-privatepartnerships committed to deepening engagement between the United States and local communities on issues ofeducation, exchange, economic opportunity, and science and technology. The Global Business Instituteprogram is unique in that the social media networking site Facebook was used to help select the initialcandidates, allowing every Palestinian university student the opportunity to log on and submit a proposal, thenvote on each other's proposals for entrepreneurship-based initiatives to improve their communities. Through acompetitive selection and interview process, a panel comprised of representatives from the U.S. ConsulateGeneral and Partnership for a New Beginning selected the final 13 participants.

Mr. Zahi Khouri, Chairman of the Board for Partnership for a New Beginning and CEO of the NationalBeverage Company (NBC), along with American Consul General Rubinstein, met with the selected students ata reception held in their honor. In his remarks, Consul General Rubinstein said, "We are here today tocongratulate the students who have been selected to participate in the Global Business Institute at IndianaUniversity. You have shown impressive initiative in developing innovative ideas for improving yourcommunities. You are the future of Palestinian economic development and prosperity. Your dreams,innovations, and the projects and businesses you start will strengthen the Palestinian economy, laying thefoundation for an independent and prosperous Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security withIsrael." In addition to receiving full scholarships for one month of study and cultural exchange in the UnitedStates, the students all received cameras from the Coca-Cola Company to document their time in the UnitedStates.

The Global Business Institute exchange program is among the many programs sponsored by the U.S. ConsulateGeneral throughout the year to promote dialogue and mutual understanding.