A common misconception about Palestine and its people is that Palestinians are merely Arabs who migrated during the Muslim conquests, and, therefore, not the original inhabitants of the land.
Yet Palestinians are not only Arabs — they include Afro-Palestinians, Palestinians of Kurdish ancestry, Armenian-Palestinians, Assyrian-Palestinians, and many other ethnic groups. The claim that “the Jewish people were in Palestine before the Muslims/Arabs” ignores the nuances of identity in the region, and how identity evolves and matures over time.
Some perceive identity as a singular, fixed concept; in reality, a nation can possess multiple identities, which can evolve and adapt in response to different historical contexts. The Palestinian people are the product of a long history of diverse ethnic, racial, and religious groups, not just one religious group like Muslims.
The evolution of the Palestinian identity
What is perceived as modern-day Palestinian identity is actually the culmination of many identities that blended throughout history. However, there is often little distinction made between the core identity recognized today and the multitude of influences that helped shape it over time.
Palestinian identity has evolved and crystallized over time through the influence of various civilizations and empires that once settled or conquered the region, including the Egyptians, Aramaeans, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Turks, Crusaders, Kurds, and many others. Each left its mark, shaping the rich and complex identity of the Palestinian people.
Throughout history, wars and invasions never entirely displaced the local population. Instead, they contributed to a blending of peoples, which reshaped and enriched the local identity. While certain groups may have had a more prominent influence on Palestinian identity than others, all of them left a cultural and political mark that helped shape its development.
The notion that Palestinian identity is merely a reaction to the Zionist movement and solely an Islamist or an Arab cause overlooks the broader history of Palestinian resistance against various groups. For example, by the late 19th century, many Palestinians rose up against the Ottoman Empire’s efforts to assimilate its subjects into Turkish identity.
Similarly, the Palestinian revolt of 1834 marked territorial awareness by the local population, as people from all social classes united in rebellion, resisting Egyptian conscription and taxation policies. These earlier acts of resistance, predating the Zionist movement, demonstrate that Palestinian identity had already developed and matured well before.
The Arabization of Palestinian identity began in the fourth century AD and was further solidified by the Arab-Islamic conquest in the early seventh century. However, it is essential to recognize that the Arab identity of Palestinians became even more pronounced following the 1948 Nakba.
As many Palestinians were forced to leave behind the heritage of their ancestors, identity became more narrowly defined. Many of the symbols associated with Palestinian identity stem from the fact that most Palestinians are refugees, shaped by nostalgic memories carried with them. However, these symbols only partially capture the richness and diversity of Palestinian heritage.
The Afro-Palestinians
The richness of Palestinian identity and history is exemplified by the Afro-Palestinian community, a small but distinct ethnic group with its own unique history. Situated at the crossroads of African ancestry and Palestinian nationality, this community is primarily concentrated in Old Jerusalem, in an area often referred to as ‘the African Quarter’ or ‘Little Harlem.’
Before October 2023, Gaza City’s Al Jalla’a district also held a significant concentration of the Gaza Strip’s Afro-Palestinian population, estimated at 11,000, within the overall 1 percent Black population of the territory.
The origins of Afro-Palestinians are varied, with accounts tracing back to different periods in history. Although much of their history remains undocumented and lacks extensive cultural memory, some trace their ancestry to African pilgrims from Sudan, Chad, Senegal, and Nigeria who visited Jerusalem after performing the Hajj in Mecca as early as the 12th century. Others arrived as volunteers with the Egyptian army to fight against Zionist militias during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, as they sought to prevent the takeover of historic Palestine.
Many of these pilgrims chose to settle, marrying Palestinian women and forming interracial Afro-Palestinian families, fully integrating into Palestinian society. During World War I, Africans were also conscripted by the British to work in Palestine as laborers and security guards, contributing to further settlement of Africans in Palestine.
Within the Old City of Jerusalem, Afro-Palestinians found a sense of belonging. Shared living spaces, a deep spiritual connection to the holy city, and a common heritage stemming from African travelers created a strong, familial bond. Stories of ancestral African guards defending the Al-Aqsa mosque further cemented their ties to the land.
Initially, their identity was rooted in their Muslim faith, but subsequent generations increasingly embraced a Palestinian national identity. This evolution from Muslim African to Afro-Palestinian enabled them to fully participate in the Palestinian struggle, solidifying their place within the broader Palestinian community. During the conflicts surrounding Jerusalem, Afro-Palestinians actively participated in its defense, with some joining the Arab Liberation Army.
Ali Jiddah, a prominent Afro-Palestinian resistance fighter and member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, exemplifies this dedication to the Palestinian cause. For instance, in 1968, he carried out an attack in Jerusalem, injuring nine Israelis, as a response to the Israeli occupation. He was subsequently imprisoned, serving 18 years of a 25-year sentence. Fatima Barnawi, a Nigerian-Palestinian, is also believed by some to be the first Palestinian woman imprisoned for a paramilitary operation against Israel, following her 1967 arrest for attempting to bomb a cinema in West Jerusalem.
The sense of a shared Palestinian identity among Afro-Palestinians goes beyond their connection to the land; it also arises from the shared experiences of oppression and the double racism they face from Israeli forces. Afro-Palestinians grow up in a reality marked by constant surveillance at checkpoints, daily interrogations, and the ever-present fear of detention.
Double racism manifests in various ways, sometimes through being singled out for additional security checks by Israeli forces, and other times in more subtle forms, like having to continually prove themselves in their jobs.
Despite facing numerous challenges, Afro-Palestinians actively affirm their identity through the dabke, a traditional Palestinian folk dance, which serves as a powerful form of cultural resistance. The Afro-Palestinian Community Society (ACS), a Palestinian non-governmental non-profit organization founded by the Afro-Palestinian community in Jerusalem in 1983, reinforces this identity by organizing cultural and artistic events that empower youth.
If the identity of Afro-Palestinians could be summed up in a single line that reflects the complexity and nuance of Palestinian identity, it would be captured in the words of one Afro-Palestinian in Jerusalem, Adam Jibril: “The way you are defined is where you are, by the people you live with, and the struggles you face every day.”
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