Palestinian Rule of Law Program
Focus AreasThe Palestinian Rule of Law Fellowship Program (PROL) provides for graduate legal studies in law leading to an LLM (Masters of Laws) degree. Applicants must be lawyers or law graduates normally resident in the Gaza Strip or West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The program aims to create a critical mass of internationally oriented professionals who are predisposed to the rule of law, committed to a peaceful resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and actively engaged in building a rule-of-law infrastructure, a democratic civil society, and transparent governmental institutions in the Palestinian territories.
The program places participants at host law schools in the United States and the Central European University in Budapest, an OSI-affiliated institution providing American-style teaching and U.S.-accredited qualifications. Before beginning their degree programs, fellows attend an intensive pre-academic summer course that includes legal writing instruction. During the academic year, fellow conferences are held to increase the group’s cohesiveness as a networked cohort.
Fellows who successfully complete the one-year LLM degree can use program funding to undertake an internship/work placement at a nonprofit or nongovernmental institution that furthers their practical training in specialized fields. The internship can be in the U.S., Occupied Palestinian Territories, or elsewhere. However, a primary goal of the program is that fellows use their newly acquired skills towards institutionalizing the rule of law and the values of an open society upon their return home.
For more information, please see the program guidelines.
