Origin Of Palestinian People

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Origin of Palestinian People Feb 06, 2012
I came across this academic paper from 2001 today - it covers a genetic investigation into the Palestinians and Jews in Israel and Occupied Palestine, and the main finding is that there is no major genetic difference to show that Jews are significantly/scientifically different from their non-Jewish neighbours.

But what is also very interesting is that the paper starts with a very good explanation of the origins of the Palestinian people.


The Origin of Palestinians and Their Genetic Relatedness With Other Mediterranean Population
http://www.rense.com/general48/Palestinians.pdf

Here's the abstract:
The genetic profile of Palestinians has, for the first time, been studied by using human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene variability and haplotypes. The comparison with other Mediterranean populations by using neighbor-joining dendrograms and correspondence analyses reveal that Palestinians are genetically very close to Jews and other Middle East populations, including Turks (Anatolians), Lebanese, Egyptians, Armenians and Iranians.

Archaeologic and genetic data support that both Jews and Palestinians came from the ancient Canaanites, who extensively mixed with Egyptians, Mesopotamian and Anatolian peoples in ancient times. Thus, PalestinianJewish rivalry is based in cultural and religious, but not in genetic, differences. The relatively close relatedness of both J e w s a n d P a l e s t i n i a n s t o w e s t e r n M e d i t e r r a n e a n populations reflects the continuous circum-Mediterranean cultural and gene flow that have occurred in prehistoric and historic times. This flow overtly contradicts the demic diffusion model of western Mediterranean populations substitution by agriculturalists coming from the Middle East in the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition.



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Shafique

shafique
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Re: Origin of Palestinian People Feb 06, 2012
That s why a growing number of palestinians convert to Judaism
herve
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Re: Origin Of Palestinian People Feb 06, 2012
Well, given that Palestinian and Jews in Israel and Palestine are genetically so alike - I'm not surprised that some cousins are taking up their cousin's religion.

I guess all the scare stories about Israeli Arabs diluting the 'Jewishness' of Israel should be dismissed now - the Palestinian Muslims are converting to Judaism and there's no issue at all. Bravo - I missed this particular story.

Thanks herve - nice of you not to contradict the main point of a thread for a change - in this case the origins of the Palestinians and the genetic similarities between various groups.

Cheers,

Shafique
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