Palestinian Entrepreneurs Participate in Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship

April 19, 2009

President Obama will host a Summit on Entrepreneurship April 26-27 in Washington, DC. The Summit, which the President announced in his speech to the Arab and Muslim world in Cairo on June 4, 2009, will deepen ties and foster new partnerships that encourage entrepreneurship between business leaders, foundations and social entrepreneurs in the United States and Arab and Muslim communities around the world. The Summit will highlight the important role entrepreneurs play in creating jobs and improving their communities and will emphasize President Obama's broader aims of supporting entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic opportunity at home and abroad.

Over 250 entrepreneurs from over 50 countries on five continents will participate in the Summit, representing various religious backgrounds and include social and economic entrepreneurs and stakeholders in the entrepreneurship ecosystem – from lenders to educators.

A delegation of eight Palestinian entrepreneurs was selected by the White House to participate in the Summit. The Palestinian delegation represents a diverse group of businessmen and women representing successful entrepreneurship in many different forms, from a college student who started her own company to a venture capitalist to the head of Young Entrepreneurs of Palestine. They hail from Qalqilyah, Ramallah, Jerusalem, Jenin, and Hebron.

U.S. Consul General Daniel Rubinstein will meet with Palestinian delegates today, Monday, April 19 to discuss the Summit and to express his support for their participation.