Human Rights Program Review

Hi, my name is Dan, and I come from the UK. I study Politics, Philosophy, and Economics at the University of Oxford. I came to the Excellence Centre for three weeks to partake in the Human Rights Internship programme, as I have been interested in the occupation for a long time and really wanted to come and see the situation for myself.

During my time at the centre, I took part in many different activities- including presentations from human rights experts, visits to Palestinian homes and villages, trips to various organisations in Hebron, and fun group activities with the centre.

Upon arriving, I was given three days of Arabic lessons- I had a very limited background in Arabic, I just knew a few words and phrases- but the teaching was excellent and comprehensive, and even after just a few lessons, my Arabic improved a lot- and made me want to learn more! Another thing is that through speaking to the people of Hebron- I learnt more Arabic and found myself able to understand more of what people were saying to me.

The environment in the centre is so friendly and welcoming. When I first arrived, I was a bit overwhelmed with meeting so many new people- but after a day or two I found myself forming close friendships with people from all over the world and different backgrounds, and now I don’t want to leave! The staff are so nice and friendly, and if you have any issues or questions they are more than ready to help.

With the centre, I visited Fuwwar Refugee Camp, the Palestinian Polytechnic University, Masafer Yatta and Umm Al-Khair village, a Palestinian art exhibition, a blind school, the H2 zone of Hebron, the Old City, and took an amazing hike in the Halhul areal. On top of that, on the weekends I visited Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, and Jerusalem- these cities are really nice to visit, and easy and cheap to get to- especially if you go in a group.

Living in Hebron was an amazing experience. I shared a nice apartment with a few other guys, not too far from the centre. The people here are SO hospitable and most of them love talking to foreigners, even though they don’t speak a lot of English. As a result, I have never felt unsafe in Hebron- it is such a friendly environment that there is never anything to worry about in terms of safety- we rarely lock our apartment door! The food here is incredible, the best shawarma and falafel in the world, for good prices- and there are some more traditional Palestinian dishes that I had the chance to try which were amazing- Maqluba was a standout for me. The weather in Palestine is HOT in the summer, but the evenings tend to be cool and when there is a breeze it is very pleasant. Something that surprised me about Palestine in general is the beautiful range of nature and physical environment- there are hills and valleys filled with greenery and beautiful-smelling olive trees.

One of the highlights for me was the hike in the Halhul area- the scenery was beautiful, the walk was long but rewarding, and then after the walk was done, we all sat down and ate together on the side of a hill overlooking the city- a beautiful view with beautiful people and beautiful food.

The programme has been so rewarding for me, and more than anything else I have just learnt so much! There is something really powerful about coming and seeing the situation for yourself- no amount of reading or research can replace that experience. I have fallen in love with Palestine, and I definitely want to come back to Hebron- hopefully with some more Arabic skills! I absolutely recommend the Excellence Centre to anyone who has any interest in the situation in Palestine, or even anyone who wants to learn Arabic- it’s an amazing place to do it.