Human Rights in Khalil

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!