Behind the wall: Israeli-Palestinian start-up launches OS

In a rare show of cooperation, a team of Israeli and Palestinian software developers came together in the shadow of Israel's West Bank separation barrier to launch a product they hope will revolutionise personal computing and perhaps improve communication between the two conflicted sides.

Israeli entrepreneur Zvi Schreiber partnered with Palestinian engineers to launch G.ho.st Virtual Computer, a web-based operating system that recreates the attributes of a personal computer's desktop from any computer with an internet connection.



"Our idea is simply to use the internet to give people a computing environment that is not just stored on a physical device, but is available on a web page or any mobile device and gives you everything you need: your desktop, your files, your programs," G.ho.st CEO Schreiber said at the launch, in the West Bank town of Beit Jalla, close to Jerusalem's southern edge.



The company started more than three years ago after Schreiber sold his second high tech startup. He had never worked with Palestinians and knew very little about the fledgling software industry in the West Bank.

"I wanted to combine my technological interests with my social interests. I always wanted to do something to help resolve the complete mess that we've all made of this part of the world," he said.



The company's name refers not only to the virtual computer's ability to float through the boundaries of a physical computer, but also to the G.ho.st team's cross-border collaboration.



The Palestinian staff of nearly 30 workers confers with its Israeli counterparts mostly by video conference or at meetings in a roadside coffee shop in the desert between Jericho and Jerusalem.



Many of the engineers living in the West Bank aren't able to get the permits needed to get into Israel, while Israelis are barred from most Palestinian areas in the West Bank due to security concerns. Schreiber has never been to the G.ho.st main office, in the West Bank town of Ramallah, though it's only 14.5 kilometres from his house.



The site for Tuesday's launch was chosen deliberately; a wind-swept hilltop crossed by a section of the nearly 800-kilometre barrier that stretches along the frontier between Israel and the West Bank.



"Ghosts go through walls and the very first wall that G.ho.st goes through is the ... wall and fence that Israel is building in the West Bank between itself and the Palestinians and which physically divides the G.ho.st team into two," the firm's website says.



Israel began building the fences and walls that make up the barrier early this decade in the midst of a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings targeting Israeli cities. It maintains the structure is a crucial security measure.



But the Palestinians say the barrier severs them from their land, disrupts their lives and cripples their economy. The barrier frequently juts into the West Bank, placing nearly 10 per cent of the area on the Israeli side.



International Mideast peace envoy Tony Blair, who attended the launch, commended G.ho.st's initiative and call for more such partnerships across the Israeli-Palestinian divide.



"One thing we know is of course we need a political solution, but we also know it's not just about politics. It's about business," Blair said.



G.ho.st does not charge to use the virtual computer, which can be translated into more than 20 languages and has been tried out by more than 200,000 users in its test phase.



The virtual desktop comes with 15 gigabytes of free file storage, file sharing capability, instant messaging and an open directory of free web-based applications. Schreiber said G.ho.st plans to charge for more storage or subscriptions, but he would not list prices.



G.ho.st makes money from the service providers, like Google and Amazon, which can be accessed from the virtual desktop.

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
News in pictures
World news in pictures
Life & Style blogs

Justin Webb on the medical advances in tackling heart disease

BBC journalist Justin Webb talks about his experiences of the advances in preventing heart attacks a...

Record home price rises (and not just in London)

Plus the Property Power 100, and the best day to sell your home

Dementia Awareness Week: Should we keep an open mind to spiritual solutions?

Nobel Peace prize winner Albert Schweitzer once quipped: “Happiness is nothing more than good health...

       
Independent
Travel Shop
India and Shimla
14 nights from only £1899pp Find out more
Prague city break
Three nights from £199pp Find out more
4* Soreda hotel break, Malta
Seven nights all-inclusive from £399pp Find out more

ES Rentals

    iJobs Job Widget
    iJobs Gadgets & Tech

    SAP SD Consultant

    £475 - £476 per day + negotiable: Progressive Recruitment: SAP SD Contract Con...

    SAP Consultant MM/WM

    £40000 - £47000 per annum + BENEFITS : Progressive Recruitment: Sap Consultant...

    SAP Project Manager

    £60000 - £70000 per annum: Progressive Recruitment: Your technical knowledge o...

    SAP FI-CA Consultant - up to £58k

    £50000 - £58000 per annum + Benefits and Bonus: Progressive Recruitment: SAP F...

    Day In a Page

    'There is a battle going on inside us that is never discussed'

    Masculinity in crisis?

    'There is a battle going on inside us that is never discussed'
    Have US shock jocks gone too far?

    Have US shock jocks gone too far?

    An incendiary remark from Rush Limbaugh may be the beginning of the end for outspoken right-wing US broadcasters
    The ‘Beverly Hills’ of Surrey pays more income tax than big cities of the North

    The ‘Beverly Hills’ of Surrey

    Elmbridge pays more income tax than big cities of the North
    Heavenly Bodies

    Heavenly Bodies

    Michael Landy's artistic marriage made in heaven... and hell
    'He will always be a friend': Jackie Stewart backs Polanski

    'He will always be a friend'

    Jackie Stewart backs Roman Polanski
    The price of pacifism: Refusing to go to war is finally being recognised as a brave act

    The price of pacifism

    From the Second World War refusenik to the 19-year-old Israeli, Holly Williams talks to five people who risked shame and suffering to take a stand as conscientious objector.
    'It was mass hysteria': Jason Isaacs on groupies, theatre bores and snogging James Bond

    Jason Isaacs: Groupies, theatre bores and James Bond

    To millions, Jason Isaacs is one of Harry Potter's arch enemies – but his wife prefers him as a Scottish TV detective.
    Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?

    Sealand: 'Micronation' or illegal fortress?

    Thomas Hodgkinson spent a week at the tiny platform off the Suffolk coast to find out.
    Not a bad bone: Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

    Mark Hix cooks with cutlets and ribs

    If you ignore cutlets and ribs, you'll risk missing out on some delicious and easy meals, says our chef.
    The experts' guide to summer: From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz

    The experts' guide to summer

    From getting fit for the beach to recreating that Olympic buzz
    Sex, drugs and fast cars: The legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

    Legend of James Hunt has set Hollywood hearts racing

    Early glimpses of Ron Howard's film Rush suggest it will portray Hunt as a high-living lothario, with an insatiable appetite for partying.
    Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation when using drugs and alcohol. It was hurting my life'

    Macklemore: 'I don't have moderation'

    The next Vanilla Ice or the next Eminem? Macklemore doesn't have a record contract – but he does have the UK's biggest-selling single of the year.
    Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

    Don't be shy: Bill Granger's Sri Lankan recipes

    Sri Lankan cuisine is light, sunny, wonderfully spiced – and so easy to cook from scratch. Just as soon as you've broken into the coconut, that is.
    Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

    Sir James Dyson’s latest project: Cleaning up hospitals

    Doctors are hailing the revamp of a Bath neonatal unit, where babies sleep more and feed better, as the model for patient care
    One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

    One man returns to Argentina's town that drowned

    Epecuen was submerged under 10 metres of water in 1985. Now the floods have gone – and 83-year-old Pablo Novak has moved back in