2013 Palestine Summer Encounter

The Palestine Summer Encounter is an extraordinary opportunity to experience life in the Palestinian Territories not as a tourist but as a guest and a participant in the community. As a participant you can join us for one, two or three months in the summer, live with a Palestinian Christian or Muslim host family, participate in Arabic classes and serve at volunteer assignment with one of over thirty five participating local organizations. Participants in the past have tutored English, designed websites, rebuilt homes, supervised kids at local summer camps, helped with administrative tasks at a human rights organization or nonprofit and provided other voluntary service to the local community in the cities of Bethlehem, Beit Jala and Beit Sahour. Participants will also have the opportunity to meet with Palestinian and Israeli peacemakers to learn more about the roots, and solutions to, the present conflict.

Where to Begin:

Find out the Dates & Costs
Check out the Frequently Asked Questions
Read the blogs and browse through the photos of participants from previous summers.
Hear what former participants have to say about the experience.
Register for the Palestine Summer Encounter!

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Palestine Summer Encounter (PSE) is a one, two, or three month service learning and cultural immersion program in Bethlehem, Palestine. Participants study Arabic in and outside of the classroom setting, live with a Palestinian host family, meet with both Israeli and Palestinian NGOs and peacemakers and volunteer.

Experience you Can Trust

In 2012 we will sponsor the 9th annual Palestine Summer Encounter (PSE) program.

PSE is a joint project between Middle East Fellowship, a U.S. based 501(c)(3) nonprofit and Holy Land Trust, a Palestinian nonproft organization.

Every year we have our participants fill out extensive evaluations and use their feedback to improve upon our performance.

Our experienced staff on-the-ground handles delegations throughout the year and has been responsible for the safety and well being of hundreds of internationals traveling to the West Bank.

In the News

The Palestine Summer Encounter and its participants have received some media attention over the years. Here are a few newspaper articles that covered our program:

+ Come to Palestine, Come Stay with Friends
+ Summer Program Offers Students a Different View of Palestinian Life

Join us

We would love for your to join us this summer in Palestine. You can register for the program at any time. Once you have submitted the online application and sent in your $150 application fee we will begin the process of setting up your volunteer opportunity and working on all other aspects of your summer experience. Please check the dates and prices page for information about application deadlines.

If you have additional questions about the program your first step is to check the frequently asked questions page.

We look forward to working with you in Palestine this summer!