English language instruction is a priority for low, middle and high income countries. English unlocks educational and occupational possibilities, and is the global lingua franca par excellence. In conflict and post-conflict settings, its utility goes beyond social and economic mobility; English can arguably act as a neutral, politically disengaged alternative to languages associated with a destabilising threat. Given the international demand, English teachers regularly embark on short and long term experiences to teach, train and develop curricula in situations of recent or ongoing conflict. As very little is known about the impact of the sociopolitical environment on these educators, this study investigates the lived experiences of English language teachers in conflict-affected settings. Using hermeneutic phenomenology (or lived experience research) as a theoretical and applied methodology, this research focuses on the experiences of educators who taught English abroad to adult learners in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), specifically East Jerusalem and the West Bank. The teachers were mobilised through international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) and government-affiliated educational diplomacy initiatives. Phenomenological (or open-unstructured) interviews were conducted and the resulting data was analysed iteratively, then organised into thematic categories for coherence. The research explores the role of the English language in the Palestinian context and the act of teaching English under occupation, in addition to foreign language education against the backdrop of ethno-national conflict. While the language teachers’ identities and political views emerged as central to their experiences, a number of other findings were identified, such as deficits in sociocultural training, discomfort with positionality in unilateral exchanges, and the impact of being a witness to the conflict in the oPt. These observations result in suggestions for more ethical and productive interventions. The recommendations include fostering equitable exchanges, providing adequate sociopolitical, cultural, educational and psychosocial training, and generating support systems and offering guidance.