Internship In Palestine (Human Rights, Palestinian Refugees, Law)

My name is Cormac and I’m from Ireland. I have a master’s degree in political science and volunteered in the human rights program at the Excellence Centre. Overall, it was a fantastic experience. Each day we met different political actors and learned a lot about the quotidian aspects of Palestinian culture and life in Hebron. The randomness of each day allowed us to immerse ourselves within the centre which gave me an understanding of the country I don’t think I could have gotten back home.
The site visits varied greatly from industries to commerce and also a number of human rights organisations. We also were taught by teachers in the centre about apartheid here in Palestine and I had the opportunity to learn Arabic as well. These lessons were taught by Marwa who took great care and was very encouraging throughout each class. The centre’s other teachers were also very accommodating and helpful.
As each weekend approached, I visited Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Ramallah, places I never thought I’d get the chance to go to.
My overall experience was one I will never forget and I will definitely be visiting again.

My name is Phevia, I’m from Australia and I am studying Social Science (Security and International Relations). This year, I joined the Human Rights Program for 3 weeks at the Excellence Center in Hebron.

Some of the places I visited were Al Fawwar Refugee Camp, The Old City of Hebron, The villages of Massafer Yatta, The Independent Commission for Human Rights, Hebron Municipality, Blind Charitable Society (School), PAL Motion, The Association of Human Rights Defenders, Al Shahuda St and H2. The visits we made and the perspectives we got to hear from different people gave us a better understanding of the situation and how it impacts different areas in Hebron and Palestine and how different demographics are impacted. Overall, the visits give a broader picture of how people in Palestine are resisting the occupation and how the kind of help provided to Palestinians vary.

During my time in Palestine, I did 3 hours a week of Arabic lessons with Marwa which I really enjoyed. The Arabic lessons were a highlight for me and if you embrace the language, you will learn more during your time in Palestine from everyone because they love to teach you Arabic on the street and in the shops. You can learn new words with almost every interaction, and it made it easier to get around Hebron knowing basic conversational Arabic.

I also visited the cities of Bethlehem, Jericho and Ramallah during my free time in Palestine and found it easy enough to get shared taxis or services to these cities. I recommend visiting other cities to learn more about Palestine and its history. It is also important to support Palestinian businesses and their economy.

I stayed with a host family in Hebron and enjoyed the experience as I found it comforting to stay in a home. I was able to meet families during my stay and enjoy home cooked Palestinian food.

Except for a few instances, I felt mostly safe in Palestine. I think there’s always danger anywhere you go even in your home country and its mostly dependent on individual. I recommend taking extra care to be aware of your surroundings and ask for updates on the situation on a daily basis.

I also found Palestinians to be mostly helpful and welcoming. I liked the hospitality of people in Palestine, you’re always welcomed with coffee and tea and every person greets you with a welcome even if you’re only passing by.

My overall experience in Palestine was good, and I will miss the people and the country. I would recommend this experience to others whether completing a Human Rights Program or learning Arabic. I think the best way to approach the programs in Palestine is to not have high expectations, as the country is going through a difficult situation and often things change last minute due to strikes. This can make planning activities a bit difficult with last-minute cancellations but eventually, you will get to do them and it’ll be worth it. Before traveling to Palestine it pays off to have a basic understanding of the conflict, so you can be more culturally aware and sensitive.

My name is Josie, and I am a twenty-year-old undergraduate student from Germany. I study Middle Eastern Studies and Economics. Because of that I took the opportunity to come to Palestine during my summer holidays. I participated in the Human Rights Program for two months. In the course of the program, I learned about human rights in Palestine through a presentation and visits to different institutions in Hebron. Furthermore, I received Arabic lessons and taught some English.

The center organized a lot of visits to different institutions and places. I had the chance to talk to government employees, doctors, teachers, journalists, activists and other interesting people. It was great to get an overview over the human rights situation in Palestine and the obstacles that Palestinians face on a daily basis. However, time restrictions and the language barrier sometimes made it hard to talk about topics in depth. Still, I learned a lot about the occupation and the situation in Palestine.
My favorite visit was to the Bedouin villages of Masafer Yatta. We visited several of them and talked to the families about their living conditions and how the occupation affects them. Some other institutions I visited were the Chamber of Commerce, the Hebron Municipality and the office of UNRWA at the Fawwar refugee camp.

Living with a host family was a great experience. Me and another volunteer stayed in a little flat inside the family´s house. We shared a bedroom, a bathroom and a small living room. That way we had privacy while also being close to the family. The only inconvenience to that living arrangement was that we didn´t have a kitchen in our flat. We only had a water cooker and a small fridge. So, the nights when we didn´t have dinner with the host family, we weren´t able to cook ourselves.
Most members of the host family didn´t speak any English. It was great to practice speaking Arabic but sometimes caused misunderstanding and made it hard to communicate important things. Luckily, the staff at the center was very helpful when it came to translating or clearing up any issues.
The host family was incredibly kind, and I loved spending time with them. All the members welcomed me warmly and made me feel like a part of the family. They made a big effort to talk to me despite the language barrier. Through a combination of my broken Arabic, their little English, Google Translate and a lot of gestures, we managed very well. I am incredibly glad to have gotten the opportunity to get to know them and to stay with them. Their hospitality was amazing. When my mother visited for a week, they even let her stay in their house as well. The two months I spent with them gave me an invaluable insight into Palestinian day-to-day life and they taught me a lot. I will definitely come back to visit them.

I received two ninety-minute lessons of Arabic per week. The first three weeks me and another volunteer had our lessons together, but after she left, I received single lessons. Even though I had taken one year of Modern Standard Arabic in university before, it was challenging to learn the Palestinian dialect. The grammar is easier but different and some letters are pronounced differently. The focus of the lessons was on speaking which was very useful and helped me with communicating with people here. I really enjoyed the lessons and the challenge of studying Ammiya.

The employees at the center were great. They were very kind and took the time to help with problems and answer questions about Palestinian culture. Having so many students at the center was nice because they were very eager to practice their English and willing to help us with Arabic in return.

I had never taught English before, so I was a little thrown to be put in front of a class without any preparation and the first time even without forewarning or the time to prepare something. Especially knowing that the students paid for the classes when I was clearly not qualified to teach them, made me uncomfortable. It was a learning curve for both the students and me. I have to say that I will probably not teach English again in the future, but it was a challenge and it was good to try it out.

I used seven of my eight weekends to travel to other cities. The services (small 7 seat buses that drive without a set route or schedule) that operate inside the Westbank made it possible to travel safely and for a very affordable price. I used them to go to Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Jericho, Nablus, and Ramallah. The bus and train system in Israel made it possible to visit cities there as well, so I went to Akko, Haifa, Tel Aviv and Eilat.

Before coming here, I had some concerns about safety in the Westbank. However, during my stay I felt very safe. The people here, especially in Hebron, are very curious about foreigners, so they sometimes stared but not in a bad way. Because of their curiosity people here are very eager to talk to foreigners (and also to sell stuff to them). Whenever I asked for directions, they were very helpful and kind. Even walking alone at night, I felt safe. There were two instances when men followed me and my friends and made us uncomfortable but that could have happened just as well in any European city.
The military presence of the Israelis was very noticeable with all the checkpoints, but they never caused any problems for me or any other foreigners. Even when there were clashes between Palestinians and the Israeli military, they were restricted to small areas, and I only ever heard about it in the news.

Overall, I had a great time in Hebron. Not only did I learn a lot about Palestinian culture and the occupation, but I also learned a lot about hospitality, kindness and resilience. It was an incredible experience and I´m very glad that I came here. I will cherish the memories of my stay here and the people I met.

Hi, my name is Zoe and I am a 19-year-old politics and economics student from the UK.

While at the Excellence Center, I participated in the women's rights programme so I spent most of my time visiting different organisations and talking to women about their experiences living and working in Palestine. It was incredibly inspiring to see their determination and creativity, even in the face of such severe challenges. I especially enjoyed meeting some of the female journalists, both at the WAFA agency and at the Al Huriya radio station. At the core of the Palestinian struggle is a fight against supression of the Palestinian perspective and false narratives propagated by the Israeli and international media. It was shocking to hear directly from these women about the ways in which the news agencies had been targeted by Israeli forces; through forced eviction from the building, nighttime raids and destruction of equipment as well as opposition in the field. While hearing about these challenges, I was especially struck by their relentlessness and courage which really highlighted the importance of the work they were doing.

The Arabic lessons at the center were very well structured, focussing on both reading and speaking. Marwa was an amazing teacher and being able to apply everything we learnt immediately talking to my host family and other people we met around Hebron made the language much easier to remember. Apparently, I’ve even picked up a slight Hebron accent! Staying with a host family was such a privilege as it allowed me to have an insider perspective on the culture and feel properly integrated into the community. I was even invited to join my family at a wedding which was an incredible experience!

The environment at the center is warm and friendly so I felt at home after no time at all. The other volunteers and staff get along very well and I have made many friends I know I will stay in contact with. One piece of advice is to try and be really open to trying new things and using all the Arabic you learn without worrying about making mistakes.

I felt safe most of the time in Hebron. There were a couple of times when we came back late from visiting other cities where it had gotten dark and I had to get a taxi home, but the other volunteers I was with were very good at making sure everyone got home safely. As with everywhere, it is important to take precautions, but I felt safe enough to travel by myself and found people friendly and eager to help.

While here, I also got the chance to visit some other cities in Palestine; Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nablus. It was really interesting to see the differences between the cities and experience a broader range of Palestinian culture. I would especially recommend Nablus- the Kanafeh there is world renowned!

After spending 2 weeks here, I would definitely love to come back! I have really enjoyed getting to know Hebron and the people here and would like to spend more time travelling throughout Palestine and further developing my understanding of the situation here. I have been incredibly struck by the warmth of the people here and the beauty of the landscape and culture so would definitely recommend visiting!

My name is Kate, I am from the Netherlands, and I studied law and politics. At the
Excellence Center I followed the Human Rights programme. I also had around 3
hours of Arabic lessons a week. My teacher was great. He tailored a programme
exactly to my needs and got me motivated to learn. In addition to the lessons, being
around so many people who are willing to teach their language and help you speak
the language really helped me learn so much.

The best thing I liked at the center were the teachers who work there. They did not
only teach us Arabic and Human Rights, but they were truly there whenever we
needed. They were so kind and they really created a warm and comfortable
environment.

During my stay we had many site visits with the Excellence Centre. For example, we
visited the Masafer Yata area, refugee camps, the courthouse, a law firm, a hospital,
the Ministry of Public Works and Housing, and so many more. We also explored
Hebron itself - we received a tour in the Old City, explaining the current situation, and
a visit to the beautiful Ibrahimi Mosque. We also visited the glass factory and the
Kufiya factory in Hebron. Next to site visits, we also had people over at the
Excellence Centre to talk about Human Rights, such as a journalist that covers
conflict areas and warzones.

During the weekend, many volunteers like to travel and visit different places in
Palestine. We’d usually plan something as a group and everyone that wanted, could
join the trip. We’ve been to Jericho, the dead sea, Bethlehem, Jerusalem and many
more places.

The people in Hebron are absolutely amazing. I feel so welcome and they make sure
that you have everything you need and want. The city itself is very lively, at any time
of the day you can find people on the street. There are so many cute shops and the
food is really good! You cannot tell a Palestinian you are full, they won’t listen - they
will keep giving you food. I enjoyed my stay with my host family. The family has
some younger children, and during my stay they taught me some of the basics of
Arabic and I tried to teach them English. The family did live quite far away from the
center, which meant we were really dependant on the driver and/or people from the
host family to drive us to and from the center and a lot of taxi drivers did not know
the area very well. If you’d like some more freedom I would recommend asking for a
host family that lives closer to the center.

Hebron is a pretty safe city. A lot of the people are really helpful and friendly.
Although, like any other city in the world, you have to use your common sense. I
personally was always together with other people, and I rarely went out on my own.
This is a personal choice of course, and this does not mean that it is dangerous to go
out on your own. The culture towards women is a bit different, so keep that in mind
when you get here.

The thing I like most about Palestine is the people. As mentioned before, the people
are so friendly, helpful and welcoming.

My experience in Palestine is one I will never forget. It has been a truly special time
and I would recommend it to anyone that is interested to learn more about the
situation in Palestine, its culture and its people.

My name is Monika and I am a final year Biomedicine student. I am 28 years old. I come from Poland but I live in London. I also work as a senior healthcare assistant. In my job I provide clinical assistance to healthcare professionaluring my studies I learned about molecular cell biology and studied mutations in DNA. I decided to participate in the Volunteer in Medicine & Healthcare at the Excellence Centre in Hebron, Palestine.
The short time at the Centre was filled with interesting and fun activities. The staff was incredibly helpful and accommodating. They went above and beyond making sure I utilised my time in Palestine. Thanks to them I learned more about the culture, history, everyday struggles of people living here and how the healthcare system operates in Palestine. I visited two hospitals – public and private – and talked to medical and laboratory staff. The centre also organised two meetings with science students during which we could discuss differences between education in UK, Poland, and Palestine. I was impressed by the students knowledge. Together with other volunteers, we went to the Old City and Al Ibrahimi Mosque. We witnessed the difficulty of people living here, who have to go through numerous checkpoints. We talked to so many people from different professionals – from shoe makers, business owners, teachers to healthcare professionals. We also visited Al Fawwar refugee camp where we talked to UN workers. During my short time at the Excellence Centre I learned some very useful Arabic phrases, words and numbers. These have already helped me communicate with locals and the expressions I was taught, will be very useful while talking to patients at work.
The staff at the Excellence Centre is professional, kind and always smiling. They have created a wonderful, friendly environment for the volunteers from all over the world. The atmosphere is very welcoming and a discussion is always encouraged.
As I only came for a week, I will also visit Bethlehem to see more of Palestine. Living with a Palestinian family has been an incredible experience. This was a great insight into the life of people here, who welcomed me with open arms. We bonded quickly, exchange few stories, cooked for each other and I went to my host mum’s beauty salon to use her service. Talking to people here, who are incredibly kind and friendly has definitely been a highlight of this experience.
I felt very safe and comfortable in Palestine. As a single woman I never felt uneasy. Every time I struggled to communicate with locals, a stranger would join and help. People are very hospitable and proud of their culture – I really admire them.
This has been one of the best cultural, educational and travel experiences I have ever had. It was a great time with plenty of opportunities to gain insight into Palestine. I highly recommend to everyone to come here and participate in the programme. The mission and hard work of the staff at the Excellence Centre to educate – that is both Palestinians and foreigners – is truly remarkable and amazing. Everyone, from staff, locals to volunteers was smiling and had a positive attitude. Palestine is a great country with amazing people.

My name is Rachael. I am British/American but spent most of my childhood in France. I am
currently pursuing a master's degree in France and the UK in IR with a focus on diplomacy and the Middle East. I spent three months in Hebron participating in the Human Rights Program at the Excellence Center. As part of this program, I met with a multitude of grassroots organizations, local government authorities and international organizations (such as OCHA, the ICRC and UNRWA), all working on issues of human rights in Hebron and Palestine. In addition to weekly human rights visits, I gave English lessons in two villages close to Hebron with students ranging from ages 8 to 15.

I also received a few hours a week of Arabic classes. I had studied some modern standard Arabic before coming to Hebron, but these lessons really helped me learn how to speak the Ammiya dialect and communicate with people in Palestine.

The Excellence Center has a welcoming, easy-going and friendly environment. You will get to interact and develop friendships with the staff, the teachers, the students and the other international volunteers. The staff are always willing to take care of your concerns and adjust things as needed, so do not hesitate to voice your suggestions and recommendations as they arise. The staff and teachers are also always willing to answer your questions, about all topics. Depending on what time of the year you come there can be a wide range of how many volunteers are at the center (when I arrived in June there were roughly 20, in July we went up to 40 and in August it went down to 10-15). There is a great sense of community at the center, and it is wonderful to be able to bond with other like-minded international volunteers.

What is great about the Center is that you have two consecutive days off per week which gives you time to travel around the country. Transport is relatively easy to most places which means I was able to travel to Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Jaffo, Nablus and Jericho. I definitely recommend trying to visit as many places as you can!

As a woman I was able to live with host families which was a great experience. I stayed with two different families. The first family I stayed with for two months. They were absolutely lovely however I was living in a separate apartment from them, and I wanted to have a more immersive experience and practice my Arabic more. When I voiced this to the center they were very understanding and immediately put me in another host family. My second host family was so wonderful and welcoming, and I was really able to have a full immersive experience into the Hebron culture and language.

Regarding safety and security, I definitely felt safe in Hebron and Palestine at-large. Palestinians are some of the most welcoming and generous people you will ever meet and are always willing to help if you have any issues. However, as a woman, I did experience and witness a few uncomfortable situations with men, particularly young adult / teenage boys. This is not behavior that is ‘normalized’ by Hebronites at large and people were very upset and angry when we told them about the things we experienced. Unfortunately, these are things that happen all over the world and are therefore, unfortunately, to be expected everywhere (in my experience). Although Hebron is a very conservative society where men are very respectful to women, some men do not treat international women the same way they would treat Palestinian women. I am only writing about it here so that women that come in the future know to be aware of it and thus retain the same level of caution and wariness they would in any country. I want to emphasize that this would NEVER stop me from coming back to Hebron, or Palestine. I could not emphasis this enough!! This was not my first time in Palestine, and I will certainly be back.

I loved everything about my time in Palestine and would absolutely recommend that anyone who can, comes and sees Hebron with their own eyes at the Excellence Center. I have developed strong bonds with the incredible people that live here. Palestinians are unbelievably resilient and while I had presumed them to be skeptical of internationals, especially people from countries whose governments fund the occupation like mine do, they could not have been more kind, generous and welcoming. I will miss Palestine’s warmth, people, and food everyday but, inshallah, I will be back soon!

I participated in the volunteer and learn Arabic course for 1 week and then the intensive Arabic course for 2 weeks. In my first week I was able to help teach English to students who were all a joy to be around and so enthusiastic. The teachers in the classes were really supportive by telling me what level the students were at and explaining the lessons to me.
In the next two weeks I studied Arabic in the intensive Arabic programme.
I have definitely improved my Arabic whilst here and all the teachers are so friendly and helpful. I came with very basic knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic and the intensive Arabic programme has helped me become faster at reading and writing and understanding the language better.
My Arabic teacher was amazing and extremely helpful. All the other teachers at the centre were also very friendly and the students in the classes were all so sweet and eager to learn. The environment at the centre is really inviting and accepting of all different kinds of people from anywhere in the world. It’s great to meet people from all over with so many different reasons for coming to the centre.
During my time at the excellence centre I got involved with numerous activities including going to the old city and taking a tour, visiting the kafiyah factory and cooking local Palestinian food.

Whilst in Palestine I visited Jericho and the Dead Sea, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jerusalem and the old city. All of these places were really easy to get to via a shared taxi. I would go back to visit all of them again if I had the chance. Especially Jerusalem as there is so much to see.

Whilst in Hebron I stayed with a host family who were so kind and accommodating. They offered food and cooked for myself and my roommate on numerous occasions and took us to parties and made me feel like part of the family. Palestinian people are the friendliest people I’ve ever met and most people go out of their way to help you. You could come back to Palestine just for the people. Hebron is also a great place to stay as it has easy taxi services and access to all other places.

I felt extremely safe in Palestine and was not once worried for my safety. My favourite thing about Palestine is definitely the people, however, the food is also amazing and trying the local food is a must.

I have so many stories from my 3 weeks here but my favourite has to be being invited for food at our taxi drivers house. (12 of us) we went for makloubah and he and his family showed so much hospitality. This is a great example of how kind Palestinian people are.

I would Certainly visit Palestine again and the excellence centre. I even intend to continue my Arabic classes on line back in the uk. I have had 3 amazing weeks and will treasure my time here for life. I would recommend both volunteering at the centre or learning Arabic there.

Thanks so much excellence centre!