Study, Intern and Volunteer in Palestine: Stories of visits to Palestine are as diverse as their tellers’ reasons for visiting the desert, rocky mountains, bustling cities, or religious sites of the country’s landscape. Tourists, travelers, volunteers or teachers, pilgrims, researchers, and explorers visit Palestine each year and plot innumerable paths through this geographical heart of the three dominant monotheistic religions.

Here, we’ll provide the tools to plot the coordinates of your own narrative in Palestine, by first outlining the basic facts about the country.

History of Palestine 

Ruled over by empires from the Byzantines to the Romans and Ottomans, and invaded by forces from the Crusaders to the Mamluks, Palestine’s history is rich and long.

Historical sites are as diverse as underwater archeological scuba diving in Haifa, to the domes and semi-domes of Ottoman architecture in Hebron’s Old City, and Nablus’ C1st ruins. The winding alleyways of eclectic Jericho, meanwhile, one of the oldest inhabited cities on earth, offer fragments of a dozen bygone eras at every turn.

Religion of Palestine 

The setting of the three books at the core of the main eschatological religions, Palestine is first and foremost overflowing with religious sites. Significant, ancient places of worship can be found throughout the length of the country, from Jerusalem’s ancient Byzantine Dome of the Rock and the ancient West (Wailing) Wall to the site of Christ’s birth or Crucifixion South of the city, in Bethlehem.

For Christians visiting the country for religious purposes, Bethlehem is the heart of the trip. The city is home to the Church of the Nativity, said to have been founded on the spot where Christ was born. For Christmas holiday visitors, the city abounds with religious celebrations including an annual Midnight mass, and concerts played by orchestras from around the world.

The central site for Muslim visitors meanwhile, is, without doubt, the Al-Aqsa mosque, located in the Old City of Jerusalem, as well as the golden-topped Dome of the Rock, located in the Temple Mount compound of the City.

Enjoy Palestine 

There are also plenty of places to sit, eat and relax in Palestine. Jericho offers a plethora of eateries and cocktail bars, resorts and hotels. Bordering Jericho, on the coast of the Dead Sea, visitors enjoy the opportunity to float in the sea’s famously salty water, or benefit from the famous minerals in the sticky grey mud at the sea shore.

Food in Palestine 

Palestinian cuisine meanwhile, is a tasty mix of the various cuisines of the Levantine region in which Palestine is located. Falafel sandwich stands and cafes, courtesy of Lebanese influence, are a ubiquitous feature of cities and towns.

Dishes specific to Palestine, however, are the key to the country’s culture, and to the hearts of visitors. Musakhan is the most popular Palestinian dish, comprised of wood roasted chicken with fried onions, sumac, allspice, safron and scattered with pine nuts, served with yellow rice and a sauce of green beans and tomato.

Even after an assortment of tabouleh and flatbread to start, you’ll want to make room for dessert, especially if it comes in the form of ‘kn’afeh’. These crispy, sweet, salty and usually huge melted cheese filled phyllo dough parcels doused in sugar syrup are a local, and unmissable specialty.

Work in Palestine

Local and international NGOs, institutions and educational centers are keen to welcome international volunteers who want to live and work in Palestine. There are innumerable voluntary and internship positions available in the West Bank, whether your interest is aid work at one of the many long-established refugee camps, journalism with a local English language newspaper, helping out with the olive harvest, or teaching English and conducting workshops with children and young adults.

Internship in Palestine

 The program provides internationals the opportunity to live in Hebron, Palestine, an intern with the Excellence Center (EC). Participants have the opportunity to learn some Arabic, gain practical experiences for their specialization, meet Palestinian people, learn more about the culture, stay with a Palestinian host family, visit different institutions, factories, refugee camps in Hebron and get know what is happening in Palestine with their own eyes.

Volunteering in Palestine

Volunteering in Palestine is a great way to participate in the ongoing development of the Palestinian community in the West Bank, and also to boost personal skills and experience. Individual voluntary positions often offer participants a wide variety of experiences, and organizations are commonly keen to hear from volunteers about any particular skills they can offer, from employability skills training to academic writing.

Participating in local educational and social events and activities is a great way for young volunteers to boost their communication skills, confidence and sense of independence, as well as to learn about the culture and everyday life of Palestinians.

Hebron’s Excellence Center has hosted over 150 internationals from twenty-seven countries and has established a reputation for quality language teaching both in English for locals, and for internationals in Fusha and Palestinian dialect.

Palestine offers opportunities to volunteer and intern

The center in Palestine offers opportunities for volunteers and interns to teach classes in the English language at the center, conduct workshops at local universities and schools, and participate in community activities organized by the Centre. Volunteering programmes include several hours of Arabic classes per week, and participants in the programme are offered the opportunity to live with a local host family.

Study Arabic in Palestine 

Studying Arabic in a country of native speakers is without a doubt the most efficient, and fun way to learn. Practicing Arabic with locals is a great way not only to learn the language faster, and develop friendships along the way, but also to develop an in-depth understanding of the culture.

Excellence Centre offers intensive classes in both MSA and Ameia (local dialect) from native speakers, offering individuals opportunity to cater lessons to their needs, choosing their own hours, topics, and providing an opportunity for local trips.

learning a dialect, Levantine Arabic in Palestine 

For those interested in learning a dialect, Levantine dialect, a form of which is used in Palestine, is widely considered the easiest and most useful, due to the similarity of pronunciation and vocabulary to formal Modern Standard Arabic (MSA), or Fusha. Knowledge of Palestinian dialect is widely transferrable to other Arabic dialects, and to an understanding of MSA used in Arab media and religious texts.

Any Questions? 

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact at Rafat@excellencenter.org

Whatsapp:+972599479880

For more information, please visit our website: https://excellencenter.org

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Excellence Center’s Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/RafatECHebron

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