Refael (Rafi) Benvenisti

Who is Refael (Rafi) Benvenisti?

Refael (Rafi) Benvenisti was the Co-Chairman of Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information for many years and now is a member of its Board of Directors, dedicated to the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of "two-states for two peoples" solution.

He was active in the economic development field in the international and local arenas. Was a Senior Adviser in the International Finance Corporation IFC in 1972 to 1975 and 1984 to 1989 and in this capacity was on the team that established The Investment Climate Advisory Services of the World Bank Group. Later on in 1990 to 2004 he was a senior consultant to FIAS. In these capacities he worked in 40 countries advising governments how to develop their private sectors and promote Foreign Direct Investment. In the land locked African country of Lesotho he assisted in the establishment of a large export oriented apparel manufacturing sector based on FDI. The development of this sector in Lesotho is considered a miracle by a World Bank - IFC report. In 1976 to 1984 he was the Executive Director of the then Israel Investment Authority in charge of promoting foreign investment to Israel. In this capacity he assisted with others in the take-off of the hi-tech industries and the establishment of the semiconductors industry in Israel and National Semiconductor.