Fascinating. I had no idea this ethnic subgroup even existed. Could they have any effect on ME politics or the peace process? http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-...-unique-identity-in-israel/?hl=1&noRedirect=1 Nation & World Afro-Palestinians forge a unique identity in Israel Originally published January 11, 2017 at 10:21 pm In this Dec. 31, 2016 photo, Arab families of African descent attend a wedding in the West Bank city of Ramallah. In the shadow of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalems Old City lies the African Quarter home to a little-known community of nearly... More By ISMAIL KUSHKUSH The Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) In the shadow of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalems Old City lies the African Quarter home to a little-known community of nearly 50 Arab families of African descent. Descended from Muslim pilgrims from a variety of African countries, they now consider themselves proud Palestinians, despite widespread poverty and occasional discrimination from both Palestinians and Israelis. Several have even participated in violent attacks against Israel. We regard ourselves to be Afro-Palestinian, said community leader Ali Jiddah. Jiddah, a former member of the radical Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, spent 17 years in Israeli prison for taking part in a 1968 bombing that wounded nine Israelis before he was freed in a prisoner swap. Jiddah, who long ago renounced violence, is now a well-known tour guide in the Old City, offering what he calls an alternative perspective on the conflict with Israel. Afro-Palestinians reside in various Palestinian cities, with large communities in Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank town of Jericho. Some are the descendants of slaves or soldiers brought in during Ottoman times. The forefathers of Jerusalems African Quarter are mostly Muslim pilgrims from Chad, Sudan, Nigeria and Senegal who settled here or got stuck during periods of war. My father came from Chad, from the Salamat tribe, said Mousa Qous, 55, director of the African Community Society, a grassroots center that serves black Palestinians in Jerusalem. Standing under posters of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Nelson Mandela, he said his father came to Jerusalem on a religious pilgrimage in 1959 and then decided to stay to fight in the 1967 war. Others came with The Arab Salvation Army, an army of volunteers that fought on the Arab side in the 1948 war surrounding Israels creation. We are originally Nubians from Aswan, in southern Egypt, said 30 year-old Hanan Bersi. Some still have their ancestors identification documents, like Ibrahim Firawi, whose grandfather came from Sudans western region of Darfur. We have documents and letters, and even tried to contact the Sudanese Embassy in Jordan to help connect us with family in Sudan, he said. Showing off his fathers old passport, he said he has not been able to track down any of his relatives. Historic Palestine was a crossroads for different cultures, and some Palestinians trace back their roots to a range of non-Arab groups, from Kurds to Indians and Afghans. Afro-Palestinians were denied Jordanian citizenship after the 1967 war, as they were not seen as Palestinians. Israel has treated members of the group like other Palestinians with varying degrees of rights depending on whether they live in east Jerusalem, the West Bank or Gaza. But even after decades in the region, fitting in has not always been easy. As newcomers, many faced discrimination because of their skin color. Our parents were foreigners. They were more sensitive as foreigners, and people would tell them that they were foreigners, that their color was such and such, said Hawa Balalawi, a shop owner whose father was from Chad. Most of Jerusalems Afro-Palestinian residents live in old buildings that were originally built in the 10th century for the citys poor. Made later into prisons by the Ottomans, the buildings were handed over to the Old Citys Islamic trusteeship during the British Mandate, which rented them to members of the African community because many served as guards or servants at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Despite these deep roots to the area, some Palestinians still refer to them with a local derogatory term, abeed, Arabic for slaves, and to their neighborhood as habs al-abeed or the slaves prison. We fought the usage of this term and mentality for many years, Quos said. Less people use it now. But he said racism can still surface, in marriage proposals, for example. Sometimes when a black Palestinian wants to marry a white Palestinian woman, some members of her family might object, he said. Its not a phenomenon, and recently, there have been more inter-marriages.
HHHHHH... Afro-Palestinians are Bedouins from Egypt, Sudan and other African countries. Most so called Gazan "Palestinians" are Bedouins from Africa. Some of them entered the Israeli Negev and married Israeli Bedouin Arabs .. they are treated less than dogs.
