A: Known in English and Hebrew as Hebron, the city of al-Khalil is located in the southern West Bank, Palestine, approximately 40 km (25 miles) south of Jerusalem (al-Quds). In Arabic, al-Khalil refers both to the city and to the wider surrounding area, which constitutes the most populous governorate of Palestine. A Khalili refers in Arabic to a person who comes from there. It is also used to refer to the distinctive Palestinian variety of Arabic spoken in the region. Al-Khalil is famously associated with the traditional burial place of Abraham (Ibrahim), a figure revered in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

A: First of all, if you speak any of the Arabic dialects of the Middle East, you may find it difficult to communicate with native speakers of North African dialects from countries such as Morocco or Algeria. Many Arabs in such situations would switch to English too.

However, if you speak with people living in the Middle East, then yes, you will easily be able to maintain a good conversation. Our rural Khalili partners have not grown up in linguistic isolation. They all studied at universities, surrounded by many different local dialects, and successfully completed their degrees. Yet they resisted the social pressure to make their speech sound more “urban”, “prestigious”, or “educated”, as some people, including certain trained native and non-native teachers of Arabic, might perceive it.

This gives you a very rare opportunity to pick up authentic dialect features. Rest assured, using phrases or pronunciation associated with rural Palestine will often make your Arabic interlocutors smile widely and ask how you have learnt to speak like that. It’s a great icebreaker.

A: Many thanks from our team for your interest in supporting Eed-b-Eed. There are several ways in which you could contibute. Please have a look here.

A: No, we do not, and that for good reasons. You can read more on our approach to AI and Arabic here.

A: According to official governmental statistics, 82% of Khalili women aged 15+ are not in labour force. Of those 18% that are able to seek jobs, 35.80% face unemployment.

In approximate absolute numbers: with the estimation of the Khalili population at 885,00 people, and assuming a simplified 1:1 ratio between men and women, there will be around 442,500 in al-Khalil. Assuming that 60% of these are under the age of 15, around 177,000 can enter labour force. Of these, some 145,140 are not able to do so, remaining outside labour force. Among 31,860 who are able to seek jobs, some 11,400 cannot find employment. In total, this means that among Khalili women aged 15+, only 20,500 are employed, against 156,500 without employment.

A: Stemming from long-term friendships, Eed-b-Eed works with trusted local individuals. It is not associated with any organisations or institutions in Palestine, Israel, or elsewhere. Any such association would require appropriate institutional approvals from the University of Aberdeen.

A: Yes. It is the independent and generous choice of our Khalili partners to welcome all genuine learners or collaborators, regardless of their nationality, ethnicity, or religion.

A: In this early stage, Eed-b-Eed is developing through research and knowledge exchange projects led by Dr Jakub Zbrzezny as a lecturer at the University of Aberdeen and the Enterprise and Innovation Champion in its School of Divinity, History, Philosophy and Art History. Think of the University as an incubator for this initiative. In due course and subject to appropriate approvals, Eed-b-Eed may take the form of a continuous professional development course or evolve into a Scotland-based registered charity (a not-for-profit organisation) or a University social enterprise (a company whose profit is reinvested into its mission), "hand-in-hand" with our Khalili partners.