Perched on the most eastern ridge of the Hebron mountain range, Arab-Ka'abneh is less remote than it once was. The new Hebron bypass road takes you to the beginning of the winding five-kilometer gravel road that eventually reaches the village. But once there, the surrounding barren, dun-colored hills and valleys give the visitor a sense of desolate isolation. There are 2,000 residents in this Beduin village. Like some 75 other Palestinian villages in the West Bank, Arab- Ka'abneh has no running water, no electricity and no telephone lines.
Medical care consists of a one-hour doctor's visit twice a week.
Greenstar is a non-profit organization committed to bringing solar power to developing countries and places where a centralized electrical power grid is not available. Lightning in a bottle,' joked North, as the men stared in wonderment. As one of the schoolteachers begins composing an English lesson plan on the computer, North explained that he also intends to put Arab-Ka'abneh on the Internet. Developing economies need to be connected to the world of e-commerce,' stated North, 'so that they can be part of the global economy. This is by far the most efficient way, and solar power is the means by which that is achieved.