Human Rights Program Review

My name is Aran and I have come to Al Khalil from the UK. I have a degree in history and a masters degree in geopolitics and conflict.

I have come to the end of a two and a half week stint in Hebron and can honestly say that I have loved every minute of my time here. I have spent time meeting local people, visiting cultural sites, learning about the history of Palestine and of course eating loads of great food. These experiences were informative, moving and will definitely impact the way I live on my return to the UK.

In addition to this I have received some basic Arabic lessons. These lessons were fun and useful in day to day life. Hebron is a brilliant place to come to learn Arabic as the local population are so welcome and always keen to connect with new comers to their city. That means there is ample opportunity to practice the language skills you are learning at the excellence centre, and even learn more Arabic from the street.

An unexpected joy at the EC has been the other international participants in courses. I have had a great time meeting others from around the world who are interested in learning Arabic and about Middle Eastern culture. People are always up for exploring the city, the rest of the region and generally spending time together. In my time here is have visited Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Jericho with other participants I met at the centre.

As part of my time at the centre I have visited local hospitals, the chamber of commerce and met with officials from the education department. In these visits I learnt about the civil infrastructure of the city and some of the unique challenges the local population has to overcome on a daily basis in order live and thrive. Olive picking, visiting ceramics factories and watching traditional glass blowing were all highlights too. I also visited the Old City of Hebron and met families living on Shahada street in the shadow of Israeli settlers and human rights activists working there. To see how the introduction of checkpoints at the heart of the city has fundamentally altered the way in which Palestinians can exist within their own city has been particularly eye opening. So too visiting Al Fawar refugee camp and hearing the stories of families that had lived there since being displaced by the 1948 Nakbar will leave a lasting impact. These personal stories of perseverance in the face of long term suffering were helpfully contextualised by having also revived a series of lectures about the history of the region and the contemporary political situation of Palestine. These many rich experiences facilitated by the excellence centre will no doubt have a deeper impact on me as I process what I have heard and learnt here on my return to the UK.

Despite the gravity of the situation here, it has only been a joy to live amounts Palestinians here in Hebron. The warmth of there people here is something I will not forget, and hope to replicate in my own life if possible. The buzz of the city is infectious and it is incredibly easy to participate in life here, even as a foreigner with minimal Arabic language skills. I has been a genuine privilege to spent this short period of time in Hebron and I only wish that I could stay longer.