[tlj009]

Are Palestinians Arabs? It is my understanding that they are Semitic like the Jews, not Arabs. For that reason, they don't really "fit" in Arab nations like Syria or Egypt. Arab (and Muslim i.e. Iran) support of Palestinian resistance operations is more out of solidarity against Israel than for Arab solidarity, I think.

It would be like Mexico (and Mexican NGOs) supporting Comanche insurgent groups fighting to regain Texan land (ignore the fact that Mexico also forced natives off their land). It's more out of "hatred" of Texas than support of the Comanche people themselves. They (the Comanches) just happen to be the ones willing to pull the trigger, launch the missile, and detonate themselves in public places, and so they are supported by Mexicans. Also imagine that the Comanches are also militaristic Catholics supported by hardline Catholics in the Mexican government and/or operating within Mexico, and they are fighting Protestant Texans (Southern Baptists lol).

I believe that Arabs are a subcategory of Semites. So basically Palestinians are both Arabs and Semites. You are partially right about the support from other Arab nations. Their best interest doesn't seem to be the Palestinians because if it were they would integrate them into their society. Instead they just encourage them to attack Israel. Jews were kicked out of many of the Arab nations after Israel became a state but Israel took them in. On the other side, no one wanted the displaced Arabs.

[Bryan]

Yes, Palestinians are considered Arabs and like most Arabic speaking nationalities are said to be descended from Ishmael (son of Abraham).

[Epaphras]

In a lot of ways, Palestinians have a lot of parallels with the Samaritans of Jesus'. They are neither fully Arab nor fully Semitic, because they are some of both. Iraqis are fully Arab, and Jewish Israelis are fully Semitic, but since Palestinians are both, they are "neither" in that they aren't fully accepted in either camp.

Following up on tlj009, that's an interesting point about Arab states wanting to militarily and ideologically support the Palestinian resistance effort, but at the same time don't want to fully adopt Palestinian refugees into their lands. I wonder if any Palestinian leaders would rise up and point this out - that hardline Arab states are essentially using the PLO just to get at Israel. I guess they take after the United States - we use Israel to get at the Arab countries!

My heart goes out more and more to the Palestinians.

[thesteve]

Originally Posted by Epaphras

In a lot of ways, Palestinians have a lot of parallels with the Samaritans of Jesus'. They are neither fully Arab nor fully Semitic, because they are some of both. Iraqis are fully Arab, and Jewish Israelis are fully Semitic, but since Palestinians are both, they are "neither" in that they aren't fully accepted in either camp.

Arabic is considered the largest of the Semitic language groups, and Abraham is consider both the father of Islam and of Judaism and that his descendants through Ishmael became the Arab people, so I'm not sure how much genetic separation exists between Arabs and Israelis as technically both are Semitic peoples. I believe that most of the Palestinians today are Arab via the occupation of that region by the Caliphates in the 7th century.