Telecom Firm Weighs West Bank Pullout

Charles Levinson (The Wall Street Journal)

September 22, 2009

A Qatari-backed telecom start-up in the West Bank is threatening to pull the plug on its investment here, citing the Israeli government’s refusal to turn over all the bandwidth it promised in a deal with the Palestinian Authority last year.

A pullout by Wataniya Mobile, majority-owned by Qatar Telecommunications Co., or Qtel, would be a big blow to the West Bank economy. Wataniya has promised to invest $700 million in the Palestinian territories over the next 10 years. A private investment fund linked to the Palestinian Authority and tasked with promoting long-term Palestinian growth owns a minority stake in the company.

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