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

My name is Linda, I’m 19 and I’m from Italy. I study political science and I therefore decided to apply for the Human Rights Internship here at the Excellence Center.
I chose to come to Palestine for many different reasons, but mainly because I was attending a class about this geographical region and I wanted to learn about it directly from the field, rather than just from the books.
I spent 6 weeks at the center and I had an amazing experience: the staff at the center is super friendly and welcoming and everyone is always ready to help you out whenever you need. I had the chance to live with a local family which taught me so much about the culture and the traditions and made me immediately feel like I was one of them. With the center I had the opportunity to take Arabic classes with an amazing teacher and to go on several visits: local families that told me about their life under occupation, refugee camps (where I also had the opportunity to teach English to the kids), Israeli settlements, villages around Hebron, local NGO’s and human rights activists, lawyers…
The center also provided us with some classes in order to give us an historical background of the occupation and prepare us before the visits.
During my time here I also had the opportunity to go on several trips around the West Bank and Israel with some fellow volunteers: I visited Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Jericho and the Dead Sea, Jaffa, Haifa and Akka.
Regarding safety and security in Palestine, there was never a time that I felt unsafe in Hebron or while traveling: Palestinians are the nicest and most welcoming people I have ever met.
After spending 6 weeks in Hebron, I can say beyond doubt that I’m going back to my country as a more educated and experienced person. I definitely recommend the center to anyone interested in learning more about Palestine and helping its people: I am already planning on going back next year!

My name is Hibiki Kanda. I have a degree in International Liberal Arts and will be studying for master’s degree in Migration and Development from 25th September.

During my stay in the Excellence centre, I was involved in Volunteering with refugees program and I learnt Arabic, visited sites in Hebron, heared local people’s stories and taught in Al Fawwar camp. I found the Arabic lessons a lot of fun. I wish to continue learning it. I found the environment in the centre excellent. Everybody is very kind and so welcoming. You are at home from day 1.

During my time I visited, Abraham Mosque, Al Fawwar camp, Old town and Human rights defenders. I also visited Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho, Dead Sea and Tel-Aviv during my whole stay in Palestine.

I found living in Hebron quite Amazing. It was far safer than I had originally thought. You can walk around alone without any concern during day or in the evening.

What I most like about Palestine was the people. The Hospitality was amazing. Meeting the people was my favourite experience. The friendliness of everyone in Hebron was just so good. My lasting impression of Hebron and Palestine is how kind everybody is. Would like to come back to meet everyone again.

Overall it was brilliant. Would definitely recommend to my friends.

My name is Fionn McPeake, I am 22 years old, and I am from Ireland. My stay at centre lasted only 10 days, although I wish I could have stayed for longer. I participated in the Human Rights Internship, and it was a fascinating and enriching experience. The program consisted of unforgettable trips, meetings, and discussions in Hebron and beyond, including a tour of the old town and Al Ibrahimi Mosque, and a visit to Al Fawwar refugee camp south of Hebron. Although my stay was short, I was still able to get see the difficulties Palestinian people face everyday as a result of the Israeli occupation. Despite these difficulties, the people here are among the friendliest and most welcoming I have ever come across. They are happy to help you at every turn and go out of their way to make you feel welcome and at home. Safety really is not an issue for visitors, and I felt super comfortable throughout the entire experience.
The Centre also presents a wonderful opportunity to learn Arabic. Due to the amazing teaching at the Centre and the immersion experience of living in Hebron, I was able to achieve a good level of understanding of Levantine Arabic in quite a short time. My teacher, Haya, was so helpful and kind, as are all of the other teachers at the Centre. One of the best parts of the experience here was meeting so many lovely, like-minded volunteers/interns during my stay. With the weekend off, you have the opportunity to travel with friends you make to other beautiful places outside of Hebron – for example, I was able to visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho (hot), and even swim in the Dead Sea. Throughout the experience I have also had the chance to try a huge range of Palestinian foods which I look forward to trying to replicate at home in Ireland.
Overall, my stay in Palestine has been hugely enjoyable and incredibly interesting. I have met so many amazing people and learnt so much in such a short time and I am looking forward to coming back for longer. I highly recommend coming to the centre for anyone who is looking to immerse themselves in the wonderful culture Palestine and its people have to offer.

My time with the excellence center and in Palestine has been a truely precious and remarkable experience, along with helpful and fun arabic lessons, activities such as the old town tour really made the experience. The community within the center is friendly and welcoming along with the rest of Palestine. The accomdidating and hospitible nature of the Palestinian people is truely remarkable. I felt extremely safe my stay aswell as comfortable. The food palestine is incredible but the people have been my favourite aspect of the trip. My host family made bfeel part of the family and I feel extremely thankful for my experiance

I had the amazing chance to participate on the Human Rights Internship Programme. During this week in Hebron i was able to visit the old town of Hebron, the AL-Ibrahim Mosque and visit a refugee camp. I would say that what i experienced exceeded my expectations. The cuty was very safe and historically rich. Reading on books About Palestine and its history cannot ,match the reality of being here. Also, i had the chance to meet people from all over the world and share valuable experiences with them. I would definitely recommend!!

Hi, my name is Oliver. I am from Slovakia and I am currently studying Middle Eastern studies. I have been at the Excellence Center Palestine for 4 weeks and I participated in the Human rights intership. This program consists of trips, visits, and presentations about Palestine. Namely visits to local families, schools, organizations, refugee camps and villages. You are able to get a sense of the situation in Palestine and of the daily lives and struggles of its people.
As for the Arabic classes, I chose to learn the levantine dialect. My teacher Duha was incredible, she created a positive environment where learning was fun! I thoroughly enjoyed my Arabic classes in which I gained knowledge of conversational Arabic and phrases used in the daily life.
The staff in the centre is very friendly and welcoming. I met many like-minded people and made a lot of friends among volunteers. We visited many places around Palestine together, like Ramallah, Betlehem and Jaffa.
As for the safety concerns, I personally felt very safe in Hebron. Palestinians are probably the most welcoming and nicest people I've ever met. They are happy to see internationals, and appreciate your interest in their country. They often invited me for a coffee or a dinner and some lucky ones even got invited to a wedding!
In general, my stay in Palestine was very enriching. I've met new people, gained sense of Islamic culture, learned Arabic, and most importantly, I'm leaving as wiser, more experienced person with many great memories.

The Excellence Center provides a unique opportunity to connect with the intimate city of Hebron. In my time at the Center I was able to make connections with various NGOs and organizations that worked to both provide assitance in Hebron as well as contribute to my professional experience. The other volunteers at the Center make for a close community that provides comfort and peace, and the locals of Hebron are some of the kindest most wonderful people to meet and I consider myself blessed to have known them.

I had a fantastic experience working in Palestine with the Excellence Centre. The Centre itself gave me the tools I needed to maximise the value of my internship here in the West Bank, while the environment surrounded by a diverse group of peers allowed me the chance to relax and form valuable connections. Working with a diverse group of journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders over the last month has provided an unparalleled insight into life in the West Bank, while living in Hebron has introduced me to more friends than I count.

Thank you so much to the Excellence Centre for my time here - the experience has been invaluable!