Legal & Advocacy Intern at the Civic Coalition for Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem

The Civic Coalition is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit coalition of organisations, institutions, societies and associations dedicated to the promotion and protection of Palestinian rights in Jerusalem. Established in 2005, the Coalition has been working to combat Israeli human rights abuses through research and legal analysis, advocacy and human rights education. The Coalition's core focus areas include housing, land and planning rights; civil and political rights in particular the right to freedom of expression; economic, social and cultural rights and rights of the child, including the right to education.

 

Closing date: 20 Jan 2011
Location: occupied Palestinian territory - East Jerusalem

The Civic Coalition for Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem is now accepting applications for its internship program to commence as soon as possible, with opportunity to discuss a suitable start date with the selected candidate. The internship program provides a valuable opportunity for individuals to gain practical field and desk experience with a local human rights organisation in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The Civic Coalition chooses applicants according to the following main criteria according to the needs of the organisation; individuals with a skill set that will enable them to make a positive contribution to the work of the Civic Coalition; those individuals who will most benefit from the internship experience and those individuals who will best promote the cause of the Palestinian community in Jerusalem, internationally.

Internships are full time, run for a period of three to six months, and are paid. Civic Coalition interns receive a monthly taxable allowance (USD500), but otherwise, interns must arrange their own funding for all costs associated with their internship. Prospective interns must ensure, before accepting an internship with the Civic Coalition that they have sufficient funding for the entire period of their internship.

Interns are assigned to various projects, campaigns and tasks according to the needs of the organisation and the interns own areas of interest. Interns should expect a combination of challenging and routine tasks.

Intern responsibilities include:
- the drafting of legal briefs, interventions and press releases concerning violations of international human rights and humanitarian law within Jerusalem;
- conducting research on legal and factual issues pertaining to the application of international human rights and humanitarian law to Jerusalem;
- assisting with the international advocacy efforts of the Civic Coalition;
- networking with various member organisations of the Civic Coalition including UN agencies and other NGO's;
- and various administrative and procedural tasks such as editing materials for publication, media research and collection, and evidence/data analysis and filing.

Applicants should have:
- a degree in international law, international relations, political science, or another relevant field. Those with a postgraduate degree in international human rights or humanitarian law are strongly encouraged to apply;
- familiarity with the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is desirable;
- the working languages of the Civic Coalition are Arabic and English. Applicants must be fluent in written and spoken English. Knowledge of Arabic or Hebrew is desirable, but not required for the internship program. Computer literacy is essential.

 

How to apply

Applicants should submit their curriculum vitae and a brief cover letter, together with an English-writing sample (optional) to info@civiccoalition-jerusalem.org