Jumana Imad

The Palestinian young woman Nawal Salaymeh (24 years old) was unable to subscribe to a business incubator in the city of Jerusalem, due to the high price of incubation at the incubators of the Israeli occupation municipality, in addition to the racism practiced against the Palestinians, so she was completing all her work from home, or from Internet cafes that It does not provide comfort and calm.

After the launch of the Al-Quds station of the Palestinian Vision Foundation, Nawal was able to obtain a corner of her own to complete her work in an appropriate work environment, and at a much lower price than the prices within the incubators of the Municipality of Occupation.

A suitable working environment
"Al-Quds station is the first entrepreneurial incubator not supported by the Israeli occupation, providing us with a suitable working environment inside the advanced and unconventional halls, and we also get consultations in all fields for free, in addition to the free courses in the field of entrepreneurship," Nawal said in her speech to Al-Jazeera Net. .

The “Jerusalem Station” was launched on Tuesday 4 February 2020, in cooperation with the Palestinian Vision Foundation and the Danish-Norwegian Church Aid Foundation, which funded the implementation of the station as the first Palestinian platform for entrepreneurship in the city of Jerusalem.

A number of visitors inside the station’s headquarters on the opening day (Al-Jazeera)

"Al-Quds station expands to embrace hundreds of entrepreneurs between the ages of 13 and 50, and each age group has its own programs," said director of Al-Quds station Hazem Tarhi - Al-Jazeera Net in a telephone call.

"We have people and ideas, but we lack the channels to access resources, so we decided to establish the Jerusalem station to be a platform to benefit from knowledge and build the capabilities of entrepreneurs who lack resources, as we provide new channels for Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank, and we provide a free workspace For young people. "

He continues, "The station aims to make a sustainable social and pioneering impact through creating and nurturing Palestinian innovations backed by expertise, and it aims to bridge gaps in knowledge, experience and skills, and mechanisms to access investment and targeted markets to increase the potential of innovators and innovators."

Developing entrepreneurship in Jerusalem
It indicates that they are seeking, through the Jerusalem station, to strengthen the system of leadership and innovation, and to establish a collaborative knowledge exchange network between Palestinian creators, European and Gulf businessmen and institutions, and international donors to reach a dynamic and diverse community in the field of entrepreneurship in the city of Jerusalem.

Introducing visitors to Al-Quds station to the station’s sections

The director of “Al-Quds Station” states that their role is to combine practices, tools, resources and different environments to positively influence the system of leadership and innovation in Jerusalem by directing innovators and businessmen from the idea stage to connecting them with markets and investment opportunities.

It is noteworthy that the cost of renting a small office within the business incubators of the Israeli occupation municipality ranges between 700 to 900 dollars per month, while the "Jerusalem Station" provides offices with large areas, at a cost that does not exceed 300 dollars per month, including income tax, electricity and the Internet.

Three tracks
Tarhi shows that the station operates along three main tracks: Start-up Labs to enhance Palestinian youth access to skills, resources and markets that reduce key gaps in infrastructure and initiatives.

The second track is "Uploading" and seeks to increase the level of knowledge and information between young people, the private sector, researchers and academia. The program will contribute to creating a comprehensive educational environment to present the needs, challenges and best practices in the field of entrepreneurship.

Any student or entrepreneur can rent offices within the Jerusalem station for an amount that is less than the incubators of the occupation (Al-Jazeera)

As for the third and final track of the Al-Quds station, it is the “Loading” track. It aims to develop the capabilities of young people to better integrate into the labor market as independent employees or future employers and provide an office space that allows members to focus on the most important matters.