Lawyers in Palestine Program – Meet Riley from the USA

My name is Riley Realing. I am twenty-two years old from America. I study International Relations and French at the University of Wyoming. I came to Palestine briefly in the beginning of the year and really loved it. I knew that I needed to return, but I wanted to stay in a capacity larger than just tourism—to be truly engrained in the culture and way of life here.

That is why I chose the Lawyers in Palestine Program. It allowed me to stay with a host family, live like a Palestinian, and meet local people every day. The Law Program truly opened my eyes to what life is like under the occupation and how Palestinian law operates underneath Israel’s control.

I was able to meet with many different lawyers, go to court, attend classes in the College of Law at the University of Hebron, and meet with many different human rights organizations. In addition, if there was anything else that I was interested in doing, the Palestinian Center (Go Palestine) was very happy to organize it for me.

I toured two different hospitals and traveled to Nablus, Ramallah, and Bethlehem with the Center’s help. The kindness of the Palestinian people exceeded expectations—everyone I met ensured that I felt welcomed and content. Everyone would drop everything to help me or assist me in anyway. I felt very, very safe in Palestine, and especially Hebron. I recommend this program to absolutely anyone interested in Palestinian law and Palestinian life in general.

Click here to watch a short video regarding Riley’s experience in Palestine!