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Re: Middle East Peace
In the 1980's, as Israel tried to make a more lasting peace with her neighbors, Egypt and Jordan renounced the "Territories" of Gaza and the West Bank. This move dumped millions of citizens of two nations onto the doorstep of one rather small nation. Again, most Palestinians were actually the citizens of Egypt and Jordan until the 1980's. Queen Rania of Jordan is a Palestinian born in Kuwait to parents from Tulkarm in the West Bank.
Ethnically, the Palestinians are a mix of many peoples. No doubt some of the ancient Canaanites remain mixed in. You often see Palestinians with light hair and blue or green eyes. This is the contribution of the Circassians who were forced from their homes in the Caucasus Mountains by the Turks in the 1800's. There were other ethnicities including Greeks who were forcibly resettled in the area. Many died out, obviously some survived.
When Islam first arose as a force there were Jewish tribes living in what is now northern Saudi Arabia, descendants of refugees from the Roman conquests in 70 and 133 AD. These tribes converted to Islam and became some of the most zealous warriors in the Muslim conquests. It would be ironic to consider that some of the modern Palestinians are related to these Jewish peoples.
But such is human history. When it comes down to it, it's always brother against brother, just like Cain and Abel.
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