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

I’m 23 years old and from the Netherlands. I have a bachelor's degree in law and a pre master degree in Middle Eastern Studies. Currently I am in university to obtain my Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies. For the completion I had to do an internship and coming to Palestine felt like a perfect opportunity. Since I am also very interested in law, international law in particular, I chose to do the human rights internship for nine weeks. The Excellence Center provided an interesting, safe and nice atmosphere to learn about human rights and the situation in Palestine.

My program consisted of three parts. First I took two weeks of Arabic classes. During this time I regained some knowledge from university and this gave me the chance to practice by myself in the weeks that followed. Throughout the weeks I learned the most by just listening to people and hearing the language all the time. Moreover, it is nice that lots of the staff at the Excellence Center will communicate in basic Arabic to make sure you keep practicing.

The next two weeks, I went on many trips regarding the human rights situation in Palestine and specifically in Hebron. These trips can include visiting human rights organizations and governmental institutions. We for example visited Human Rights Defenders, a Hebron based organization whose goal is to document the reality of the occupation. I was even able to arrange an extra meeting with one of their founders to elaborate on the organization and their work even further. That is a huge benefit of staying for a longer time, you are able to build up relationships and undertake the activities and meetings you are personally interested in.
Another visit was to the ministry of Education. Here we met one of the supervisors who mainly explained about the issues of teachers and students whose schools and/or houses are in the H2 area which is under Israeli military control.

The last month of my stay I taught English in Kharas, a nearby village. The students were about 9-15 years old and followed a summer programme to improve their English skills. It was exciting to experience such motivated students. Thereby, I got to learn more about the culture, for example during the food day when the kids shared Palestinian sweets and dishes.

Generally my time in Palestine has been very enriching and enjoyable. The people I met are all so generous and hospitable which made my stay so pleasant.
Moreover, it made me feel very welcome in the city and the country as a whole. As a woman I personally felt very safe in all of Palestine. At some times the reality of the occupation is quite visible in Hebron, for example when the Israeli army clashes with Palestinians near the old city. But even at those times I did not feel unsafe. The same goes for other Palestinian cities and I very much enjoyed traveling throughout the country; to Nablus, Ramallah, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Jericho.

I was a bit nervous because of what I heard about Palestine and the fact that I had never traveled anywhere in the middle east before. But I learned and experienced so much that I would've never been able to anywhere else. It was also extremely safe and my host family was very helpful throughout my stay.
During my first week in Palestine, I understood how important community is and how it holds everything together. In the West, we’re much more individualistic and focused on the self; here, it is the opposite. One of my first visits was to a Human Rights NGO in the Old City. The man we spoke to was a non-violent activist who provided English lessons, first aid classes for women, and much more. He told us that for Sahoor they took community members to a local Palestinian village to learn about Palestinian agricultural practices and their history. This is just one example of how vital these resources are.

Overall, this experience was very impactful, and it was necessary to experience life here first-hand. I’ve made unique connections with people in the center and Palestinians all throughout Palestine. I won’t forget the time I spent here, and I plan on taking everything I learned and immersed myself in while I was here, with me when I go.

I had an amazing time with the Excellence Centre. Staff are absolutely brilliant and very friendly. We visited different organisations which help support refugees and visited fawar refugee camp and gained an insight into the living conditions and life of the refugees. Fantastix experience with great people. I will definetly return in the future. My message for those who are afraid of coming, I want to reasure you it is extremely safe so please come and visit Palestine and the lovely people here.

My Name is Dayton. I have a Bachelors in Economics and I participated in the Media and Journalism internship at the Excellence Center in Palestine.
During my time at the Excellence center I toured the city of Hebron. I was able to see many important place in the city as well as meet many members of media, the chamber of Commerce, the Municipal government, Law and activists. I also hade the opportunity to volunteer in English langue classes held at the center for Palestinian youth and take Arabic classes myself. My Arabic classes were rigorous, engaging and a lot of fun! My listening and reading comprehension greatly improved during my time at the center. I also developed the rudiments of conversation skills that I hope to build upon in the future.
The Center is a very warm and inviting environment. I was able to meet volunteers from around the world as well as well as many Palestinians from the community of Hebron. People were full of advice about how to make the most of my internship and how best to navigate the West Bank and Hebron. During my stay, I participated in every site visit that was made available to me. I visited the Ibrahim Mosque, a Russian Orthodox Church, a Kafiyeh Factory, a School for the Blind, A radio station, a TV station, the Old City and to H2. I was also able to visit other cities in the West Bank such as Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jericho and Nablus.
Living in Hebron was a very pleasant experience. The People are very curious, friendly and generous. People off the street would invite my to have dinner with them or just to strike up a conversation. I never worried about feeling unsafe. If ever crossed the street it was because I didn't want to accept a gift of coffee or some sweets! I most enjoyed and respected the resilient spirit of the Palestinian people and that despite the daily reality of the Occupation; very person that I met was positive about their future.
My Favorite experience in the West Bank was all of it! I was able to learn so much not just about Arabic or Palestinian history but about world history. MY time in the West Bank and in Hebron has left a lasting impression that will affect where I travel and how I live for some time. I would recommend the Excellence center to anyone that wanted to learn more or who wanted an exciting experience.

The last two months I had the special opportunity to live in Hebron, Palestine. The programme I followed at the Excellence Center consisted of learning Arabic, teaching English to kids in a nearby village, going on trips and visits learning more about human rights in Palestine, and staying with a lovely host family. I learned a lot during my time here, both in the programme and talking with people outside of the programme. I learned about about Palestinian culture and daily life, the political situation, and human rights which are being violated on a daily basis. I will bring this knowledge home with me and try to help spreading the word about what is happening here with whoever wants or does not want to hear it. Being here for this period of time has been very special for me and I will take that with me in the rest of my life.

I am a medical student from London and decided to come to the center to learn more about the community in Hebron. At the center I taught english to children ranging from ages 10-17 whilst they also taught me lots of arabic! There were also 1-2-1 arabic sessions which were great. We visited the old town, Ibrahimi mosque and a refugee camp. My favourite was visiting the old town and all the trades men, who shared very insightful stories of their life in Hebron. The highlight of my stay has to be staying with my host family, they have been so welcoming and made Hebron feel like home. They taught me how to make traditional food such as Makluba which was lots of fun. Throughout my stay here I have felt safer than I have ever felt in London. I highly reccomend the Excellence center to anyone wanting to findout more about life in Hebron as well as learn lots of arabic. You won't regret it.

It has been an amazing experience. I joined many activities in the field of journalism such as meeting journalists, visiting radio stations, talking with scholars and professors...The arabic lessons have been very interesting as well.
Everyone is very nice both at the center and in the city. At the center there is a fantastic international environment engaging with palestinian culture.
During my experience I visited many cities in the West bank as Ramallah, Nablus and Bethlehem. I felt safe in all of them.
Palestine is a special place where people are always available and nice. Hospitality is their greatest quality.
I recommend everyone to come here, apart from the interest for the current situation, all the aspects of the culture are very interesting, I think everyone should come here at least once in life.

I’m Luca from the United Kingdom, and I participated in the Israel and Palestine in Context programme.

I’ve participated in extensive activities while here: I’ve taught English, visited refugee camps, hiked in the countryside, talked to lawyers, professors, students, government ministers, artists, and activists. I’ve explored Palestinian towns and cities like Hebron, Bethlehem, Jericho, Ramallah, and Nablus and visited Israeli settlements.

Everyone here at the Centre is truly accommodating and friendly, and the Arabic lessons have been fantastic. From having no Arabic whatsoever, I can understand rudimentary conversations and exchanges. I highly recommend the experience!

Palestine itself is stunning and has something for everyone. The dishes, like maqluba and mansaf, are delicious and the landscape is beautiful. Palestine itself, despite the news headlines, is incredibly safe. Have common sense, and be careful, and you’ll have no problems whatsoever. The Palestinian people are incredibly warm, accommodating, and curious to learn about you and your background.

Palestine will forever have a lasting and fond place in my heart, it’s absolutely unlike anywhere I’ve been, and I’ve loved every second here. It’s effortlessly interesting, and almost impossible to tune out – there’s always something going on in the streets or the Centre that catches your attention.