Research shows that most Arabs came to the area called Palestine in the 19th and 20th centuries, looking for work. Op-ed.
By Amb. (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, INN
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Have Arabs been in the area west of the Jordan River from time immemorial?
In 1881, Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, a leading British cartographer and Dean of Westminster Abbey, reported that “in Judea it is hardly an exaggeration to say that for miles and miles there was no appearance of life or habitation” (Sinai and Palestine in Connection with Their History, New York 1895, pp. 184-186).
The Egyptian immigration
According to Arieh Avneri, a ground-breaking historian of Arab and Jewish migration to Palestine (The Claim of Dispossession, 1980), during the Egyptian conquest (1831-1840), “there was a limited influx of some thousands of [Egyptian] immigrants, whom Ibrahim Pasha [the ruler of Egypt] brought in to settle the empty stretches of the country. Before them, a goodly number of Egyptians had fled Egypt, seeking to evade the military draft…. They sought sanctuary with the governor of Acre, who granted it readily.”
The French-Egyptian scholar, Muhammad Sabry [The Egyptian Empire under Mohammed Ali and the question of the Orient, 1930], confirmed that “the Governor of Acre encouraged the migration of fellaheen [peasants] from Egypt and gave them shelter…. In 1831, more than 6,000 fellaheen crossed the Egyptian border…. After he conquered Palestine, not only did Mohammed Ali [Ibrahim Pasha’s father] refrain from sending back the draft evaders to Egypt, but he sent new settlers to consolidate his rule…. The Egyptian ruler also brought the Bedouin slave-tribe, Arab ed-Damair….”
Avneri highlights (ibid.) many documents published by the British Palestine Exploration Fund. For instance: “Most of Jaffa was made up of Egyptian-populated districts…. Philip Baldensperger [a renowned anthropologist] stated that in 1893, the inhabitants of many villages in the southern part of the country [between Gaza and Tulkarem] were of Egyptian origin…. The dwellers of some parts of the south were originally brought to Palestine from Libya…. Hundreds of families of Egyptian origin accompanied the conquering forces of Ibrahim Pasha…. Similarly, in the cities of Samaria and Judea there are hundreds of families which, to this day, are named Masri [the Egyptian]…. Before WW1, Egyptian laborers worked on the reclamation of the swamp-lands…. Egyptians participated in the laying of the railroad tracks from Jerusalem to Jaffa, and thereafter remained in the country….
“According to Baldensperger, the existing population in Jaffa contained at least twenty-five different nationalities [mostly Egyptians, but also Syrians, Yemenites, Persians, Afghanis, Hindus and Baluchis]….
Additional Arab/Moslem migrants
Avneri adds (ibid.) that “in 1856, the French [conquerors of Algeria] permitted Abd al-Qadir al-Husseini [the leader of the anti-French rebellion] to leave Algeria together with some followers. Some went to Syria and others to Palestine…. These immigrants were called Mughrabis [originating in the Maghreb, North Africa]. They founded four villages in the Lower Galilee…. Quite a number of Mughrabis settled in Safed, and probably in Tiberias….
“In 1914, Masterman [British Palestine Exploration Fund] described the Moslem population of Safed as being of mixed origin. One of the neighborhoods was called Hareth el-Karad, which denotes a population of Kurdish origin…. Half of the Moslem population of Safed were Mughrabis…. Other Moslem Arabs were immigrants from Damascus and Bedouins from the Jordan Valley…. In 1893, Baldensperger wrote [British Palestine Exploration Fund Quarterly] about the Mughrabis of Jaffa…. The Persians, Afghans, Hindus and Baluchis were engaged in commerce….
“In 1878, the Ottoman Sultan, Abd el-Hamid took under his protection Circassian refugees who had fled the Christian-Russian rule in the Caucasus. Many settled in Jordan. Others settled west of the Jordan River in Kafer Kamma, Sarona and Reihaniya. Some Moslems from Bosnia also found refuge in Palestine and settled near Caesarea… Laurence Oliphant [a British traveler, author and diplomat] wrote about one of the Turkoman tribes that pitched their black tents near a Circassian village, arriving from the mountains of Iraq…. In 1908, a group of Arabs arrived in Jaffa from Yemen and settled there….
“In 1878, Claude Reignier Conder [British Palestine Exploration Fund] reported that the large Jezreel Valley was the refuge of the Bedouins whenever war or famine threatened their existence in Jordan…. In 1870, only a sixth of the lands were ploughed, because the valley was occupied by Bedouins…. The same phenomenon occurred in the southern part of the country [e.g., from the Hebron area and southward]….
Infrastructure projects enticed Arab immigration
Avneri adds (ibid.): “The building of the Jerusalem-Jaffa railroad [inaugurated in 1892] employed many local and outside labor. The Belgian company that built the railroad imported Egyptian laborers, many of whom remained in the country. At the start of the 20th century, work on the railway track between Haifa and Dera’a [in southwestern Syria] began. At the outbreak of WW1, the Haifa-Nablus railroad was launched…. Many workers were imported from neighboring countries….
“In 1880, Haifa was a small town of 6,000 souls. In 1910 it tripled to 18,000 inhabitants, of whom 15,000 were Moslem and Christian Arabs. Many of the newcomers were from Lebanon and Syria…. Jaffa developed as a port city… through which passed pilgrims…. Some of them remained in Jaffa. Jaffa’s population doubled during 1890-1910, numbering 43,000 of whom 30,000 were Moslem and Christian Arabs. Also, a large number of pilgrims from North Africa settled in Jerusalem amidst their countrymen, who arrived in earlier times….
“The rapid population growth in Jaffa and Haifa (following the British victory in WW1) was, in large part, due to the influx of many Egyptian laborers, policemen, contractors, foremen and businessmen, who accompanied the advance of the British Army…. The building of the railroad to Qantara on the Egyptian border employed thousands of Egyptians, many of whom preferred to settle in Haifa….
“The British authorities preferred Egyptian, Syrian or other foreign Arab laborers [ e.g., Sudan] – over Jewish immigrants – when it came to erecting military bases, operating quarries, paving roads and the construction of the port of Haifa…. During 1919-1922, the Arab-Moslem population grew from 515,000 to 590,000, largely, due to Arab immigration….
“The years 1932-1936 were marked by unprecedented economic prosperity… and a considerable influx of Arab immigrants….
“The outbreak of violence that occurred from time to time [against Jews and intra-Arab], especially during 1936-1938, drew thousands of Arab mercenaries from the neighboring countries…. Many mercenaries remained in the country….”
“In 1942, during WW2, there was a severe labor shortage in Palestine…. The British Mandate issues emergency regulations permitting the British Army to bring laborers from Arab countries….
In conclusion
Prof. Efraim Karsh of the Bar Ilan University and London King’s College, features a report by the British Peel Commission (Palestine Betrayed, 2010): “during 1922-1931, the increase of Arab population in Haifa, Jaffa and Jerusalem was 86%, 62% and 37% respectively.”
As a result of the 1880-1947 waves of Arab immigration, the Arab population of Jaffa, Haifa and Ramla grew 17, 12 and 5 times respectively.
Thus, contrary to Palestinian claims, Arab residents west of the Jordan River (Judea, Samaria and pre-1967 Israel) are not descendants of the Canaanites, but of recent Arab migrants.
Moreover, in defiance of a myth advanced by the Palestinian Authority, Palestine has not been Arab/Moslem from time immemorial.
In fact, since the Greek Empire era (5th century BCE), the term Palestine (Palaistine) referred to the Land of Israel, directly linked to the People of Israel.
Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative”
“Mida Magazine,” https://bit.ly/34FkqHt, https://bit.ly/32yhVEm Amb. Ettinger is available tor Zoom presentations.
@ nachmank:
Palestiine/ Palestinian and Philistia/ Philistine derive from the Hebrew shoresh or root FaLeSH to intrude, trespass or invade. The Ethiopian Jews were known in the local Amharic – also a Semitic language – as FaLaSHas or Strangers/wanderers.
It is utterly typical in the PLO nationalist copycatting without the background learning that the Arabs should take the Roman and British tag for themselves while they intruded trespassed and attempted to rob what they had sold. Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose.
From the Arabic viewpoint too that name is to do with desert pastoralism and raising camels while settled farming Arabs are fellahin.
@ canuck7:
The numbers are a bit wrong for the timing – unless of course in best PLO style you count their children too. The Peel Report admits that Arab immigration was on the level with Jewish immigration over its 20 year period of review 1917 – 37. Both in 1919 and 1945 the British demobbed in Palestine 20000 Egyptian military labour who preferred to stay.
Of the 50000 Arabs who legally entered British Palestine 2/3rds were brides – presumably for menfolk who had entered before; and of those who left legally according to the cards filled at border crossings and matched at immigration HQ, a third had not entered legally nor been born in Western Palestine.
There are two corroborations. Civilians flee battle areas even without encouragement qv the 1940 French Exodus before the German invasion and the 1967 flight of over 200 000 Arabs from West to East of the Jordan. In 1948 a lot of those who had immigrated from Egypt attempted to return to Egypt and jammed Gaza. King Farouq “the Crook” then ordered his provost (MP’s) to seal the frontier and kept it closed even after the Armistice. This is why 30% of Gazans are named Masri/ Misri let alone the Mughre/abis, Obeidis (Sudanese) Yamanis, and Djazeiras (Algerians). At the end of June 67 the Israelis held a census in the newly taken territories and found 960 000 Arabs of whom 40 000 were NOT born in the Palestine Mandate nor Jordan.
This is an excellent article and very well researched. Obviously in our times actual history as well as actual facts don’t really matter. The “Palestinian” Arabs are busy rewriting the history of Palestine which is aimed at dejudaizing the entire area. I have but one small beef with your history. The name Palestine is not from the 5th century BCE but rather from the second century CE, specifically around the year 135. After the Bar Kochba rebellion (132-135) the Romans, who were very bloodied by that war and weary from the previous rebellion just six decades earlier, decided to dejudaize the region. They renamed Judea, Palestine, after the erstwhile enemies of the Jews, the Phillistines, and renamed Jerusalem Aolia Capitolina. Even then the name Palestine was a fraud!
I would recommend googling robertkennedyandisrael.blogspot.com
This is an article written in 1948 by Robert Kennedy following a visit in 1948 prior to Israel’s declaration of independence. Good article. Here is good quote:
“The Jews point with pride to the fact that over 500,000 Arabs in the 12 years between 1932 and 1944, came into Palestine to take advantage of living conditions existing in no other Arab state. This is the only country in the Near and Middle East where an Arab middle class is in existence.”
@ riverfred123:
Well said. A point you could have made is that the great majority of local “Arabs” are not Arabs at all. Those who are, are descended from Abdullah’s original 900 bandit followers. just after WW1, who straggled up from Arabia to avenge “family honour” against the Fre+nch, who had kicked his brother Feisal off the Damascus throne before he even got it warm.
They stopped to “rest” at Amman, which in those days was part of the area known as Moab, and Churchill bestowed the title of “Emir of Transjordan” on his very agreeable shoulders, and clutching hands, the latter for the yearly beneficence of many thousands of British Government gold sovereigns.
The Vast majority are, as Ettinger described above, Moslems from all over the Islamic world, transported there pre WW1 during the previous 40 odd years, and in the 1930s, before WW2 many 10s of thousands, because of job opportunities. British Colonial Records bear out this fact.
We KNOW that Ettinger’s account above is accurate;s he is mainly collating the records written by previous investigators, archaeologists and travellers, as well as the account of Oliphant and his secretary, who lived in Israel for many years. Many of us here have already come across these accounts……….
So what it boils down to, is, that only a small percentage of Israel’s and YESHA’s “Arabs” are really Arabs, the rest, likely about 90% (including a hefty Egyptian portion) being Muslims from other Islamic countries.
Just wearing a burnoos and smelly robes. “does not an Arab make”.
No-one has ever recognized a ‘Palestinian’ entity especially the Arabs who declare it. ‘Palestinians’ are a fiction created by Pan Arabism in order to continue a losing war against Israel, to asymmetrically terrorize where military aggression has always failed always will. There is not even a ‘p’ phonetic in Arabic. They call it ‘falastin’. The root of the word Palestinian is from the Hebrew language. How is it that these so called ‘indigenous’ people don’t even have a name starting with a letter in their own alphabet? It’s because like everything else they have and do, Arabs (the Arabs came from Arabia, never from Erez Yisroel, the Land of Israel, seeking employment in Israel) stole this name from the Jews who before 1948 were called Palestinians – nomenclature that dates back to the Roman displacement of the name of Judea. Bottom line – Palestinians are Arab fakes who stole the name from Jewish history.
Perhaps the day will come when Palestinians realize that 70 years of fantasizing about a lost homeland that never existed has brought them nothing but misery, but I wouldn’t count on it. The Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.