TL;DR Palestine has about 5.4 million people, high internet use and unemployment close to a quarter of the labour force. Ideas that fit here travel over a connection rather than a border crossing, keep water, power and clinics working with what's on hand, or help farm products like olive oil and honey reach buyers with proof of quality.

The market in numbers

  • Population: about 5.41 million in 2025[1].
  • GDP per capita: about US$3,170 in 2025[2].
  • Internet use: about 87% of people were online in 2023[3].
  • Unemployment: about 24% in 2022 (modelled ILO estimate)[4].
  • Remittances: personal remittances received were about 4% of GDP in 2025[5].
  • Company law: companies are formed under Companies Law No. 42 of 2021, according to a 2024 legal guide[6].
  • Currency: there is no national currency, and the Israeli shekel, Jordanian dinar and US dollar are all in use [Requires validation].

What founders here actually have to work with

Here's where I'd start - a connection reaches further than a truck. With close to nine in ten people online[3] and about a quarter of the labour force out of work[4], the strongest first businesses tend to be services delivered remotely, where the client is in the Gulf, Europe or North America and the work never has to cross a checkpoint.

Physical businesses face real limits on moving goods and inputs, which changes the maths on anything that relies on imported hardware [Requires validation]. Design for local repair and local materials where you can.

Several currencies in daily use means pricing and accounting take more thought than in most places [Requires validation]. And with remittances at about 4% of GDP[5], the diaspora matters more as customers and investors than as a source of household cash.

Ideas that fit Palestine

All of these were researched for India. The rupee costs, Indian licences and Indian payment rails don't carry over, so treat each one as a brief to rework.

Work that travels online

  • Paidtrace: Checked references and payment proof help freelancers win and keep foreign clients. It solves the trust gap that comes with selling from far away.
  • Deskmoat: Software and outsourcing firms get asked for proof of security by foreign buyers. A fixed-price baseline makes them easier to hire.
  • Roleplaycall: Phone role-play tests for frontline hiring translate well into Arabic. Contact centres serving regional clients are the first buyer.
  • Rangewright: Browser-based security labs need nothing but a laptop and a connection, which suits universities with tight equipment budgets.
  • Syllabook: Job-skill modules inside a university's own timetable give graduates something employers abroad recognise. Pilot with one faculty.

Water and power

  • Saltfree: Solar units that make salty groundwater drinkable fit places where the safe supply is short. Build it from parts you can get and fix locally.
  • Pulpstrip: Paper water-test cards read by a phone camera give communities a cheap way to check supplies. Agree with health authorities on what a bad result should trigger.
  • Leakfinder: Leak surveys paid per verified leak help a utility keep more of the water it already has. Municipal buyers move slowly, so plan for that.
  • Islehold: Software that keeps a building's solar running alongside its generator fits places with frequent power cuts. Start with one apartment block.

Health and care

  • Stormcrate: Solar battery trailers kept on standby for clinics were built for cyclones, but the idea of backup power on contract fits any clinic that can't afford an outage. Aid agencies are the likely buyers.
  • Limbscan: Phone-scan design with central fabrication helps limb-fitting clinics serve more people from fewer workshops. Certified prosthetists must stay in charge of fitting.
  • Parentcoach: Weekly phone coaching for parents of children with developmental delays works where specialists are scarce. Partner with an established rehab or child-health group.

Learning

  • Readkit: Early-grade reading kits made with communities suit schools short on materials. Build them in Arabic with local teachers from the start.

Farm products and building

  • Peppertrail: Built for spice exporters, its farm-to-lot spray records fit olive oil producers who need to prove residue levels to foreign buyers. Check each buyer country's limits.
  • Hiveproof: Hive-to-jar records and purity checks help honey producers sell at a better price. Start with one cooperative.
  • Calcibond: A bacteria-grown binder for unfired soil blocks could cut reliance on imported cement. It's early-stage research, so treat it as a long play.

Rules to check before you start

A 2024 legal guide says the companies registrar at the Ministry of National Economy approves company names and registers companies, and that companies then register for income tax and VAT, with income tax handled by the Department of Income Tax[6][7][9]. The central bank function sits with the Palestine Monetary Authority, which regulates and supervises banks[8]. The same guide says there are no special limits on foreign investment beyond registration, apart from a cap in banking[7]. Health and food export ideas carry their own approvals [Requires validation].

This is a starting list, not legal advice. Check with a local lawyer or the agency itself.

Questions founders ask

Remote services sold to clients abroad, like software, design or support work, need skills and a connection rather than capital. Paidtrace and Deskmoat above are built for that.

Do foreigners need a local partner to start a company in Palestine?

A 2024 legal guide mentions no local partner rule and says foreign companies must register with the companies registrar before they operate[7]. Confirm it with the Ministry of National Economy.

How do I deal with limits on moving goods?

Pick ideas where the product is a service, a file or something built from local materials. If you need imported hardware, find out how long it takes to arrive before you price anything [Requires validation].

Talk to Yash

In Palestine I'd start by asking which part of your idea can be delivered over a connection, and I'm happy to work through that with you. If you need a hand, you know where to find me.

Talk to Yash →

Sources

  1. World Bank, "Population, total: West Bank and Gaza", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/PSE/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?format=json&mrv=1
  2. World Bank, "GDP per capita (current US$): West Bank and Gaza", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/PSE/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?format=json&mrv=1
  3. World Bank (ITU data), "Individuals using the Internet (% of population): West Bank and Gaza", 2023. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/PSE/indicator/IT.NET.USER.ZS?format=json&mrv=1
  4. World Bank (ILO modelled estimate), "Unemployment, total (% of total labor force): West Bank and Gaza", 2022. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/PSE/indicator/SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS?format=json&mrv=1
  5. World Bank, "Personal remittances, received (% of GDP): West Bank and Gaza", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/PSE/indicator/BX.TRF.PWKR.DT.GD.ZS?format=json&mrv=1
  6. Al-Zubi Law Office (Mondaq), "Doing Business In Palestine", 2024-05-28. https://webiis08.mondaq.com/shareholders/1470040/doing-business-in-palestine
  7. Al-Zubi Law Office (Mondaq), "Doing Business In: Comparative Guide (Palestine)", 2024-09-03. https://www.mondaq.com/corporatecommercial-law/1513232/doing-business-in-comparative-guide
  8. Palestine Monetary Authority, home page, 2026. https://www.pma.ps/
  9. Ministry of National Economy, home page, 2026. https://www.mne.gov.ps/

For illustration only. Names are fictional and ideas hypothetical; sourced facts are real but may be out of date. Nothing here is legal, financial or professional advice, and Yash Khatri is not personally liable for any use of it. Read the full disclaimer.