Expert: Imad Ajam - 3/30/2006

Question
I have friends who speak Arabic, but, they are originally Palestinians. What, if any, is the difference? Also, I want to know more about their history, what & where would I find this info. ? For example, thier customs. drink, dance, food, etc.
             Thankyou,
              .:.Gail.:.

Answer
Hi Gail, Thanks for your question.

In answer to the first part of your question, a "Palestinian" is a nationality, where as Arabic is a Language. All Palestinians originally come from the historic land of Palestine which is nowadays mainly made up of Israel, Gaza,  the west bank and Jordan, and all Palestinians speak Arabic.

Perhaps you were confused about the difference between an Arab and a Palestinian.
To put the point in perspective, Arabs as a collective term, refers to peoples who speak the Arabic language. Arab countries are those countries where the predominant or official language is Arabic. For example Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Libya, Saudia Arabia, Palestine are all Arab countries. In all those countries, Arabic is the main Language, although local dialects and accents vary greatly between all those countries. You can think about the relation between the terms "Arab" and "Arab country" as roughly equivalent to "Latin America" and "Latin American countries".

The second part of your question asks about their history and culture.
you can read here for a general overview of Palestine:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestine
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian

you might also want to read here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab-Israeli_conflict
and
http://www.un.org/Depts/dpa/ngo/history.html
and
http://www.cyberus.ca/~baker/pal_hist.htm
As the conflict between Israel and Arabic countries is a major defining factor in modern Palestinian culture, thought and politics.

To read about general Palestinian culture and current affairs visit these links:
http://www.palestine-net.com/
http://www.cyberus.ca/~baker/pal4ll.htm
http://www.miftah.org/Index.cfm
http://www.jmcc.org/index.html

Palestinian food and cuisine:
http://www.jmcc.org/palculture/recipe.htm

Palestinian music:
http://www.barghouti.com/folklore/songs/
http://music.calabashmusic.com/world/middleeast/palestine

Pictures and photos from Palestine:
http://www.sabellaphoto.com/stock.htm

I hope that now you have a clear answer to your questions. Don't hesitate to contact me if you need more information.

Regards,
I.Ajam