Reach and HCEF Open First Call Center Outsourcing Facility in Bethlehem

Reach, part of the Paltel Group, and the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) have joined hands to open a call center outsourcing location in Bethlehem.

The new call center is located in HCEF’s Ecumenical Center for Research and Development, which also houses the HCEF Bethlehem Office and provides a meeting space for training sessions and seminars.

“We are proud to open this Call Center in Bethlehem. Already we have centers in Ramallah and Nablus. Visits to the Holy Sites and tourism are significant in bringing revenue to Bethlehem, but the center is instrumental in creating jobs for our residents,” said Abdul Fattah Hamyel, governor of Bethlehem, in a statement.

Sir Rateb Rabie, president/CEO of HCEF, stated that in addition to opening the call center at the HCEF headquarters in Bethlehem as a first of its kind, it will contribute to the enhancement of the Palestinian society on many levels.

“The Bethlehem Call Center will seek to provide a multitude of call center services to organizations, particularly in the global market, and thus contribute to attracting investors and business to Bethlehem, helping the economy as it develops and grows!,” Rabie added.

Amar Aker, CEO of Paltel Group, the national telecommunications provider in Palestine, said that the opening of Reach company comes as an extension of the intricate and sensitive process of development initiated by the group since its inception. This process has been kicked off by Paltel Group to boost the national economy and to achieve further progress, both internally and externally.

Paltel Group targeted the opening of the Bethlehem Call Center as an incubator/innovator for creating jobs for new graduates which is in line with the company’s goal to enhance the role of Palestinian youth by rehabilitating them; training them; and giving them the opportunity to enter the labor market without having to suffer through unemployment—especially in Bethlehem, where the unemployment rate has reached 23 percent—the 2nd highest in Palestine only to Gaza.

“Our ambition is to expand areas of work for Reach Call Centers to include service to foreign markets. We hope that the opening of the Bethlehem Call Center is the first step toward this goal, particularly since most college graduates from Bethlehem are fluent in several foreign languages. This will give them an opportunity to gain experience in an international environment,” Aker concluded.

Edited by Jamie Epstein