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VNG International - In April 2014, a delegation of five Council members from Rawabi visited the Netherlands in coordination with the LGCP Palestinian Territories programme. Rawabi, being the first planned city in Palestine, will be a green, smart and sustainable place to live

Rawabi is a new city that is currently being built on the West Bank in Palestine. The delegation that visited the Netherlands consisted of; Majed Abdulfattah (Mayor), Issa Kassis (Deputy Mayor), Dr Omar Zimmo (Councilmember), Sonia Alzubaidi (Councilmember and Head of the Local government Urban Planning Unit) and Amal Abdalhalim (Councilmember and Head of Engineering unit). Rawabi, the promised city of Palestine, is privately funded and currently being built on the hills of the West Bank.

During the visit the delegation got acquainted with municipal best practices in Zoetermeer, Deventer, Almere and Amsterdam. All the involved cities had their own theme which is relevant to the situation in Rawabi; Zoetermeer- city branding, Deventer- district approach & waste management, Almere – smart society city, Amsterdam - innovative smart-city. Each city presented their initiatives, ideas which resulted in great discussions and thoughts that could be applied in Rawabi. During each visit the mayors had a chance to exchange ideas and share advice.

Finally, this visit presented a great platform and opportunity to think about the future, to discuss reciprocal interests and fine-tune the focus, objectives and results of the rest of the pilot. It was an inspirational visit in which both the host and guests were challenged to think outside the proximity of their own borders. 

 

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