The Palestine and Israel Internship: Whether you’re an undergraduate, graduate, professional, retiree, or just someone interested in political history, human rights, Palestinian refugees, or the current situation, the Palestine and Israel Internship is for you! With the ability to hear the opinions of everyday people and understand, grasp, and witness the effects of the conflict firsthand, this is a fantastic opportunity to gain insider knowledge beyond the headlines.
In particular, if you’re a current humanities, political sciences, or Middle Eastern studies student looking to frame your knowledge within a cultural context, this internship program in Palestine is particularly pertinent. You will explore the occupation in the West Bank and meet Palestinian civilians, local human rights activists, and families who are subject to Israeli military law.
In addition to these great opportunities, you will receive an Arabic language course tailored to your level. With tuition of three hours a week, you’ll also be able to immerse yourself in your surroundings by chatting with local Palestinians, ordering food in restaurants, and more. Therefore, for those looking to enhance their knowledge of Arabic, experience cultural immersion, and conduct political research, consider our program to gain an in-depth, personalized internship.
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Volunteering for the “Palestine and Israel Internship” in the West Bank
As an intern in the Palestine and Israel Internship Program, you will study the issues at hand and work with us to create constructive programs geared towards benefiting members of the Palestinian community, such as designing workshops that address fundamental cultural differences.
At the Excellence Center in Palestine, we want to invite people from around the world to come to Palestine and utilize your expertise to help the people of Hebron.
Who Can Participate?
The Excellence Center in Palestine does not discriminate on any basis, including nationality, ethnicity, religious standing, gender, sexual orientation, or any other discernable means. Furthermore, we have a long history of welcoming people from around the globe.
Including the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Canada, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Brazil, Mexico, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Australia, Japan, South Africa, Singapore, South Korea, Ireland, China and New Zealand.
Program Structure
The Excellence Center in Palestine works with and is supported by the Palestinian Educational Authority, meaning that university credits are available for many of its summer internship programs, making this program a desirable internship opportunity. Enrolling in this internship program will give you a broader perspective on the Israeli/Palestinian situation.
Additionally, you can create dialogues on the contemporary situation in Palestine with university staff and students, lawyers, human rights actors, local politicians, and everyday people. This summer internship is ideal for students seeking a unique, hands-on experience.
Community-Based Outreach Activities
Designed to increase your knowledge of the conflict, you will act as a cultural ambassador for your country by spearheading community outreach programs for cross-cultural communication. For example, you will visit Palestinian refugee camps and discuss the geopolitical circumstances of Palestine with local politicians and activists.
Examples of outreach activities in Hebron, Palestine, include organizing educational workshops (such as conversational English lessons for Palestinian children, youth, women, and refugees), CV and employment workshops, and computer programming workshops. Furthermore, we are flexible and are happy to help you design and deliver a workshop for any skill you’d like to teach.
Moreover, in Hebron, you can organize community sporting events, informational and cultural presentations, and others of your choice. But don’t worry, you won’t have to go through it alone as you will work with local Palestinians to enact these programs and gain sources of inspiration. The sky’s the limit at the Excellence Center in Palestine!
Internship Options
However, if this program is not for you (or if you just fancy partaking in more than one or trying something new instead), we run a wide range of volunteer projects at the Excellence Centre. Covering a variety of subjects, whether you have interests or expertise in arts, sports, Palestinian refugee care, laws, and justice, education, environmental and humanitarian Issues, or just promoting professional development, you can undoubtedly find a volunteering program in which you can flourish and significantly contribute.
Program Details and Additional Activities in Palestine
Volunteers in the Palestine and Israel Internship based in Hebron, West Bank, will receive the following benefits. More details are given below. These include:
- 12 hours of Arabic lessons for each month you intern
- Accommodation with a Palestinian host family or a shared flat
- Breakfast with other participants (6 times a week)
- Pre-departure and support during your time in Palestine
- Visits to various sites in Hebron (including refugee camps, the old city, different factories, etc.)
- Understanding of Palestinian politics and the experience of occupation in the West Bank
- Getting to know the human rights situation and helping the Palestinian refugees.
- Engagement in educational, social, and community activities
- Palestinian hospitality and a pleasant climate
- Living and gaining impressions from one of the most politically divisive and ambivalent regions of the Middle East
- The opportunity to visit unique tourist attractions with a native perspective – including Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Tulkarm, Qalqilyah, Jenin, and the Dead Sea in Jericho
- Visiting nearby cities both nationally and internationally, such as Akko, Herzliya, Beersheva, Eilat, Tiberias, Netanya, Safed, Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Masada, Amman, Aqaba, Wadi Rum, and Nazareth
- Help from well-qualified, attentive Arabic teachers with excellent educational backgrounds.
- A certificate upon completion
Arabic Classes For Program Participants
Our international volunteers and interns receive 3 hours of Arabic class per week with an experienced and knowledgeable Palestinian teacher. Additionally, there are plenty of chances to meet many people in Palestine, allowing you to learn further and practice your Arabic skills.
But that’s not all, because as a thank you for your time with us, you can freely choose what dialect of Arabic you would like to learn from the following list:
- Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)
- Colloquial Palestinian Arabic
- Colloquial Shami/Levantine Arabic (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine)
- A mixed program between MSA and colloquial dialects
If you are unsure which dialect to study, we can guide you and help you choose the most appropriate for your needs. However, they are all beneficial, and our teachers are all very knowledgeable.
Program Accommodation
You can reside with a Palestinian host family during your time in Hebron, Palestine. This will give you a valuable chance to immerse yourself entirely in Arabic and have a rare look into Palestinian culture and life. This means taking part in family meals, witnessing and attending Palestinian cultural events, and seeing the ins and outs of daily life.
However, if a host family is unavailable (which applies only to male participants), staying in a nice, modern shared flat is available just a five-minute walk from the Excellence Center.
Practical Information
| Place of Internship Program | Hebron, West Bank, Palestine |
| Program Fees (Per Week) | 300 Euros per week (See Prices Here) |
| Age | 18-75 |
| Duration | 1 – 13 weeks |
| Internship Program Focus | The Politics of Palestine and Israel Israel and Palestine Case Politics and History of Palestine Human Rights in the West Bank |
| Perfect for Anyone Interested in | Middle Eastern studies Conflict and refugee studies Politics in the West Bank Human Rights in West Bank |
| Number of Participants | Variable (3-6) |
| Expected Working Hours | 30 hours per week |
| Starting/Ending Dates | Flexible – Anytime |
| Application Deadline | No Deadline |
| University Credit | Available |
| Program Language | English |
Schedule For Volunteers
With two days off, you will be expected to work approximately 30 hours a week, from around 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Saturday through Thursday. One of your days off will be Friday and another day of your choice.
International volunteers start the day every morning with breakfast at the Excellence Center in Palestine. Breakfast is shared with Palestinian teachers, volunteers from other programs, and staff, offering exposure to traditional Palestinian foods such as labneh and the opportunity to practice your Arabic further. You can go sightseeing here in Hebron, where the Excellence Center in Palestine coordinates with your program’s commitments. Evenings are typically free, although we will organize occasional optional activities as part of our commitment to showcasing Palestine’s culture.
In addition to your work on your program, you will also have your Arabic class schedule and time to prepare for any workshops you oversee. This is alongside your free time, where you can undertake excursions to other cities.
Indeed, you may be surprised by how fast your schedule will fill up and how quickly your time will fly!
Program Costs & Information
Our fees are priced competitively with other abroad programs, with the stated costs below covering the following expenses:
- Housing
- Language courses
- Center’s operating costs
- Breakfast (Mon – Fri)
- Group excursions
What Language Is The Program Run In?
The Palestine and Israel Internship is geared toward English speakers; however, for the sake of immersion, the higher the course level, the less English will be utilized in the classroom. Furthermore, when navigating through Hebron, you must use your Arabic skills to the best of your ability, creating a fully immersive experience.
A Flexible Program
The Excellence Center in Palestine will work with you to tailor this volunteer position to your experience and skills. We are very flexible, so you can freely choose what activities and workshops you would like to implement during your time with us.
Looking for volunteers year-round, you decide when you want to start, and we organize things accordingly. You can volunteer anywhere between 1-13 weeks.
How to Get to Palestine?
- Ben Gurion, Tel Aviv Airport in Israel. A shared cab from the airport to Hebron takes roughly two and a half hours.
The most convenient method to reach us at the Excellence Center in Palestine is to fly to:
Alternatively:
- Fly to Eilat airport in the south of Israel, take a shuttle or bus to Jerusalem, and finally, go to Hebron. The travel, however, can last between six and seven hours.
- Flying to Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan, and then crossing the border into Palestine. This, however, takes more time and is more expensive.
Traveling to and from Hebron, West Bank
All Excellence Center in Palestine volunteers travel to and from Hebron using single or shared taxis that pass through checkpoints.
You will find all the necessary information about how to get to Hebron and the Excellence Center in Palestine with relevant contact information in these four articles:
- How to fly to Palestine
- How to get to Hebron, Palestine
- Planning your trip to Palestine
- How to get from the Ben Gurion Airport, Israel, to Hebron
How Do I Get A Visa To Visit Palestine?
Most of our international participants get a three-month tourist visa when flying to Israeli airports or crossing from Jordan to the West Bank.
Generally, no prior visa is needed for Americans, Canadians, and most Europeans to enter Palestine, but please refer to the visa exemption agreement for further information. Upon your arrival at the Israeli Airports in Tel Aviv or Eilat, you will be granted a tourist visa valid for 90 days. This is sufficient for participation in the Excellence Center in Palestine’s programs and enables you to travel around Palestine and Israel easily.
Traveling to Palestine On Your Own?
No worries, you’ve come to the right place!
You will meet many participants from overseas who are also involved in our volunteer abroad programs, university students, and a community of people with various interests. Palestinians in Hebron, in particular, love to meet new people from different cultures and exchange ideas and experiences.
For everyone here, it is like belonging to one family, and there are always activities to do together in Hebron’s fantastic social scene.
Safety Of Our Volunteers And Interns
The region of Palestine is perpetually unstable. While there is always unrest, the situation sometimes becomes more volatile. Nonetheless, millions of tourists, without safety issues, visit Palestine and the West Bank each year, including Hebron, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jenin, Tulkarem, Nablus, and many other cities. Palestinians, in general, are a welcoming and hospitable people, and they recognize the politics of a country may differ from its people.
Since its formation in 2011, the Excellence Center in Palestine has welcomed over 1,000 international visitors. These visitors have lived and worked in Hebron for weeks or months and have never faced any threats or safety issues while in Hebron or the West Bank in general.
Moreover, the Excellence Centre is situated in the heart of Hebron, in an area under Palestinian authority. Our Palestinian host families and the male dorms are also located near the Excellence Center in Palestine.
Criteria for Participants in the Program
Required:
- Aged between 18 and 75 years (although exceptions can be made in exceptional circumstances)
- Ability to converse fluently in English or Arabic
- Willing to meet and interact with a diverse spectrum of Palestinian people
- A desire to learn and a positive attitude
Not Required:
- Arabic fluency
- Travel experience
- Teaching experience or an equivalent educational degree
- Being an English native speaker
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at Rafat@excellencenter.org or Whatsapp:+972-599-479 880. We look forward to hearing from you!
Summary: Join Our Family in Palestine
The Palestine and Israel Internship offers an unparalleled opportunity to engage deeply with the region’s political, historical, and cultural complexities. From meeting Palestinian civilians, activists, and refugees to exploring the nuances of Israeli military law and its effects, participants gain an insider’s perspective that extends far beyond traditional academic learning. This program allows interns to witness the realities of life under occupation, offering a profound understanding of human rights challenges while actively contributing through workshops and community outreach initiatives.
Tailored to participants’ skills and interests, the internship fosters cross-cultural dialogue and equips individuals with the tools to analyze and address the unique circumstances faced by Palestinians in the West Bank. Beyond the intellectual and cultural immersion, the internship also provides participants with practical benefits, including Arabic language lessons, accommodation with local host families, and opportunities to explore Hebron and other cities in the region.
The program’s flexible structure ensures it meets the needs of students, professionals, and anyone passionate about Middle Eastern studies, human rights, or conflict resolution. Whether through teaching English, organizing workshops, or conducting research, participants leave with valuable knowledge, meaningful experiences, and a deeper connection to one of the world’s most dynamic and contested regions. This is not just an internship but a life-changing journey toward greater understanding and impactful action.
How To Apply
If you are interested in participating in our Israeli–Palestinian conflict program, please email us at Rafat@excellencenter.org. We aim to respond to your initial inquiry within 1 – 2 business days.
In the subject line of your email, write, “The Palestine and Israel Internship.” Upon writing back to you, we will attach an application form, which you will fill out and return to us to begin onboarding.
