The Volunteer Program for Writing Articles about Palestine is open to individuals who enjoy writing and wish to share stories. It’s designed for those keen on journalism and reporting in various styles, with a love for narrating human experiences. This program isn’t just an opportunity; it also motivates you to immerse yourself in Palestinian culture by connecting with people in Hebron, West Bank. You can learn Arabic and engage in daily life while participating in this

We aim for fair and unbiased articles, sharing the stories of the Palestinian people in Hebron and the work undertaken by Engage in Palestine, the volunteers in Palestine, and the Excellence Center. While the media often focuses on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, writing with Engage in Palestine allows you to convey the everyday experiences of local Palestinians. Many Palestinians seek a connection with the international community, and this volunteer program helps you achieve that by narrating their stories.

Connecting with people internationally in a friendly and honest way is cornerstone on which Engage In Palestine in Hebron, West Bank, is based. As such, we are constantly seeking individuals who are able to write critically and clearly about the many different activities occurring at the Center as well as the experience of living in Hebron and the West Bank, Palestine, as well as about the lives of Palestinian refugee in and around Hebron.

The Writing Article Internship presents various avenues for internationals with an interest in the Israel/ Palestine region to explore and witness the realities of everyday life in the area. Examples of activitie to participate in include: daily events taking place at the Engage in Palestine, the educational system in the West Bank, volunteering in Palestine, studying Arabic, and community events, among many other activities.

Specificities of Role

During the internship, volunteers are expected to fulfill the following obligations and duties:

• Collect information and necessary materials from the Engage in Palestine staff, students, international volunteers, and interns and others in order to facilitate the writing of articles.

• Submit one articles per day subject to critique and acceptance by Engage in Palestine staff. Articles may be required to be revised to achieve final approval. These articles should be between 1500 – 2000 words.

• Edit articles from the Engage In Palestine website

The aim of the articles is to inform international readers about life in Palestine and opportunities for locals living here. Therefore, writers should use a writing tone that is engaging, direct, and clear.

Currently, Engage In Palestine is looking for volunteers who can help edit the center’s website content (Mainly to improve the articles’ readability and English Language). Please email us for more information.

When can I volunteer to Write about Palestine?

Programs for interns at the Center are designed to run for at least 1 month, up to the 3 month maximum allowed through a travel VISA. Within these loose boundaries, interns are free to join throughout the year, shaping the internship to cater to their needs. As a result, this presents a perfect opportunity for travellers looking for Summer volunteering programs in Israel and Palestine. However, volunteers are welcome to come to the Center all year round.

Here at the Engage In Palestine, we are happy to work with you in defining when you would like to start the program as well as its duration to ensure an exciting volunteer time for you in Palestine.

Brief information about The Volunteer to Write Articles about Palestine Program

Benefits provided by the Engage In Palestine:

On top of this fulfilling immersive volunteering experience, volunteers in the Write Articles about Palestine Program benefit from the following

• 12 hours of conversational Palestinian Arabic lessons for each month they intern. Participants also can study MSA, Fusha or colloquial Arabic.
• Accommodation with a Palestinian host family or a shared flat.
• Breakfast with other participants (6 days a week)
• Support during their time in Palestine
• Visits to various sites in the city of Hebron (refugee camps in Hebron, the old city, different factories, etc.)
• Understanding of the Palestinian politics and experience the occupation of the West Bank 
•  Get to know the Human Rights situations and helping the Palestinian refugees. 
• Engagement in educational, community and social activities
• The hospitality of Palestinians and the pleasant climate offer a great attraction to overseas students.
• The writing about Palestine will give you the opportunity to live in and gain impressions from one of the most politically divisive and ambivalent regions of the Middle East.
• The writing articles Internship in the West Bank Program will provide you the chance to visit unique tourist attractions with a particular native perspective – locations including Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, Tulkarm, Qalqilyah, Jenin and the Dead Sea in Jericho.
• Visit nearby cities such as Akko, Herzliya, Beersheva, Eilat, Tiberias, Netanya, Safed, Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Masada, Amman, Aqaba, Wadi Rum, and Nazareth.
• Our center is staffed by well-qualified, attentive Arabic teachers, each with an excellent educational background, ready and happy to help you.
• Engage In Palestine will provide participants a certificate upon completion.

Requirements for Volunteer to Write about Palestine:

Engage In Palestine relies on its online presence to attract volunteers around the world and share stories from the Center. In order to ensure a level of quality to the articles written, we request the following from our authors:

• Demonstration of fluency in the English Language for speaking, writing, listening, and reading is required, and any other language fluency is an added plus.
• Writers should have some prior experience in writing texts in English.
• Showing a strong motivation to write about Palestine and willingness to embrace local culture and traditions is hugely welcomed.

You must be aged between 23 – 75 years old to apply. Engage In Palestine welcomes all nationalities!

Arabic Lessons for Volunteers of the Article Writing Program

All participants of the Write Articles about Palestine Program receive 3 hours of intensive Arabic classes a week with a Palestinian teacher. On top of this, all volunteers will have multiple chances to meet and interact with people in Palestine, giving them the opportunity to learn more and practice their Arabic skills. Volunteers are free to choose the kind of Arabic they would like to learn during their time in Palestine at Engage In Palestine

Arabic dialects to learn

All volunteers at our base in Hebron will be given a choice of Arabic dialects to study during their time in the West Bank. As part of your volunteer placement, we offer a choice of: 

• Shami or Levantine Arabic (Amiyya dialect)
• Colloquial Palestinian Arabic
• Modern Standard Arabic (MSA)
• a mixed Program: (Modern Standard Arabic & Shami Arabic)

Help is always offered if you need advice choosing a dialect.

Volunteer in Palestine Program registration fee

In order to cover the costs of the program, Engage In Palestine charges a fee of 250€ a month. This fee covers accommodation provided by the Center, the breakfast provided each morning, Arabic classes, and the costs and the cost of cultural trips around the city. This fee is much lower than that of many of the other programs run by the Center, as a reflection of how much we value strong English writing skills.

• The Engage in Palestine will offer pre-departure support, accommodation with a local host family or at the Engage In Palestine’s dorm, some meals, and assistance and coordination while residing in Palestine, three hours a week of Arabic lessons, and some visits to various sites in and around the city of Hebron.
• Engage In Palestine accepts applications year-round for this program.

Where do volunteers of our programs come from?

In short, everywhere. Here at the Engage In Palestine, we take pride on our openness towards people of all nations, religions and cultures. For us, there is no ‘foreigner’. Simply people with unique cultural perspectives, with whom we are delighted to share our time and experiences with.

The largest proportion of our Arabic students in Palestine include: the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Canada, France, Spain, Belgium, and Switzerland.

Moreover, students from: 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 have all partaken in Arabic lessons in Hebron, West Bank.

Is your country not on the list? Then now is your chance to become a trail blazer and become the first representative of your nation, and join our ever expanding international community!

Reviews from former participants 

Engage In Palestine in Hebron has now over 13 years of experience, and prides itself on the positive feedback received from over 1000 international interns and volunteers to the Center. Reviews of our all our Volunteer and Internship Programs, including the various journalism based programs run through the Center, can be found at the following links:

• 730 Reviews and ratings (93%) on gooverseas.com
• 150 Reviews and ratings (96%) on goabroad.com
• Participants’ video testimonials

Flying into Palestine

Unfortunately, there are no airports in Palestine; as such it is currently impossible to fly directly into the West Bank. Palestinians use either the airports in Jordan or Egypt to travel abroad. However, international volunteers and interns can fly to Israeli airports and then cross to Palestine. We believe the easiest ways to get to Engage In Palestine in Hebron are:

• To fly to Ben Gurion, Tel Aviv Airport (Israel). It takes about two and a half hours from the airport to Engage In Palestine in Hebron via shared Taxi.
• You can fly to Eilat airport and then travel by booking a shuttle or taking a bus to Jerusalem and then to Hebron. The whole trip can last between 6-7 hours.
• A separate option is to fly to Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan and then cross the border into Palestine, but this route takes more time and is more expensive.

How to get a VISA to Volunteer in Palestine?

There is unfortunately no way to directly apply for a VISA to volunteer on the Write Articles about Palestine Program at the Excellence Centre before travelling out to volunteer in Palestine. Upon arrival in Israel, internationals are given a 3 month VISA, applicable to Israel and Palestine. With this VISA, volunteers are able to travel freely in the Israel and Palestinian territories for up to a 3 month period.

In general, no prior VISA is needed for Americans, Canadians, and most Europeans in order to enter Palestine. Please refer to the visa exemption agreement. Upon your arrival at the Israeli Airports in Tel Aviv or Eilat, you will be granted a tourist visa that is valid for 90 days which enables you to travel around Palestine and Israel.

Traveling to and from Hebron, West Bank

We know that many participants of the Write Articles about Palestine, especially those traveling in the Israel/ Palestine region for the first time, naturally have queries on issues such as:

• How to get to Hebron, West Bank,
• How to make your way to theEngage In Palestine once arriving
• Transportation in the area; which taxi you should take
• How to cross the checkpoints in the West Bank.

Hopefully all the necessary information about how to get to Hebron, Palestine and some useful contact information is provided in these four articles:

• How to fly to Palestine
• How to get to Hebron, Palestine
• Planning your trip to Palestine
• Get from the Ben Gurion Airport (Israel) to Hebron

Safety of our Article Writers

The region of Palestine has not been stable for the last few decades, there is always unrest and conflict. At some moments, the situation becomes more volatile and at other times it is calmer. Nonetheless, each year millions of tourists visit Palestine and the West Bank including Hebron, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Jenin, Tulkarem, Nablus and many other cities without any safety issues. Palestinians are welcoming and hospitable people. They recognize that the politics of a country and its people may differ.

Since it was formed in 2011, Engage In Palestine has welcomed over 1000 international visitors. These visitors lived and worked in Hebron for a few weeks or months. Overall they did not face any threat nor were they unsafe in Hebron or the West Bank.

Moreover, the Excellence Centre is situated in an area of Hebron which is under the Palestinain Authority and in the heart of the city. Our Palestinian host families and the male dorms are also located near the Engage In Palestine.  

How To Apply

Please send us an email at Info@ecpalestine.org and write “Write About Palestine” as the subject line. We will then send you the application form.

Related Volunteer Programs

How To Get Further Information 

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

Engage in Palestine: https://ecpalestine.org/

Volunteer in Palestine: https://volunteerinpalestine.org/

Whatsapp:+972 599 479 880

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/excellence.center

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ExcellenceCenter

Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/RafatECHebron

Watch us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsQSLdFZWZcBm6Uj0XMYuKg

Visit and Explore Palestine: https://www.facebook.com/ExplorePalestine