Most Palestinians, among themselves, consider themselves as originating from outside Palestine ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Thursday, February 26, 2026

Most Palestinians, among themselves, consider themselves as originating from outside Palestine

There is a striking disconnect between three different ways Palestinian identity is described: in genetic studies, in Western political discourse, and in internal clan narratives.

Start with genetics. Most population studies show that Palestinian DNA is overwhelmingly Levantine - often over 80%. That category includes Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, so it does not prove continuous residence within the borders of Mandatory Palestine. Still, genetically speaking, Palestinians are largely a Levantine population.

Now look at how Palestinian identity is framed in the West. There the emphasis is on absolute indigeneity: a people wholly rooted in the land, implicitly contrasted with Jews portrayed as foreign. In that framing, outside origins are minimized or ignored.

But there is a third narrative - the one found in Palestinian clan histories, tribal affiliations and social media accounts. Here, a very different picture emerges. Many families openly state, and often take pride in, origins outside Palestine: Hejaz, Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Syria, even Circassian or Kurdish migrations during Ottoman times.

To move beyond anecdote, I examined the appendix of Glenn Robinson’s 2009 paper “Palestinian Tribes, Clans, and Notable Families.” The list was not compiled with this issue in mind, which makes it a reasonably neutral sample of prominent Palestinian family names. After removing duplicates, roughly 95 families remained.

The origins of about 10% of the families could not be identified. Of the remainder:

About 20% described themselves as indigenous to the local Levant.
About 12% traced their origins to older Levantine Arab migrations that long predated Islam.
About 69% claimed migration from Arabia or other external regions, including prestigious lineages tied to the Hejaz, Yemen, Bedouin tribes, Hashemite ancestry, companions of Muhammad, Egyptian arrivals, or Ottoman-era migrations.

In other words, among families that preserve and publicize origin traditions, roughly 80% associate themselves with roots outside Palestine.

This does not necessarily contradict the DNA evidence. Male-line tribal migrations marrying local women could easily produce a largely Levantine genetic profile alongside Arabian clan narratives. The point is not genetic purity. It is self-perception.

Why do so many families prefer to emphasize external tribal origins rather than local indigeneity? In Arab society, descent from prestigious tribes - especially those connected to early Islamic history - carries social capital. Identity narratives often follow honor and status.

That creates tension with the Western-facing narrative of exclusive indigeneity. Internally, many families celebrate migration stories. Externally, migration is rhetorically erased. Their self-definition is that they came from elsewhere, not that they are proudly native Palestinians - even when their DNA might say otherwise.

By contrast, Jewish diasporic naming traditions generally preserve identification with ancient Israelite tribes rather than with host nations. Ashkenazic Jews did not historically claim Polish or Hungarian tribal origin as a source of prestige. Surnames such as Cohen, Katz, Levi and even Loeb. Wolf and Hirsch explicitly reference biblical lineage. Whether every claim is provable is secondary; the identity myth points toward ancient Israel, not toward the countries of exile.

This small fact is of course Kryptonite to the prevailing anti-Israel propaganda that Jews are illegal settlers and Palestinians are indigenous. The Jews never relinquished their ties to the land from their origins; Palestinians by and large do it even today on countless Palestinian Facebook and family webpages.

The contrast is not about genetics. It is about where a people locates its origin story. When internal clan narratives celebrate external migration while political narratives assert exclusive indigeneity, the tension deserves examination.

Here is the entire list of Palestinian surnames as identified by Robinson and where these families say they originated from:

Family/Clan/Tribe	Region(s)	Claimed Origins	Status
‘Abd al-Hadi	Nablus	Notable; claims descent from al-Hadi (Hashemite, from Mohammed).	Migrated (Arabian/External)
‘Amr	Hebron	Linked to Banu Amr, sub-tribe of Tamim or others.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
‘Atrash	Bethlehem	Deaf clan; possible Bedouin.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
‘Azza	Hebron	Clan; possible Jewish origins in traditions.	Indigenous
Abu Amash	Bayt Hanun	Clan; claims descent from Umash in Beirut (Lebanese ties) or from Kafr Qaddum (West Bank local).	Indigenous (if West Bank) or Migrated (if Lebanese) – assuming Indigenous based on Palestinian context
Abu Awda	Bayt Hanun	Clan; possible Egyptian or Sudanese roots, or from Awad in Palestine (local Levantine).	Migrated (Arabian/External) if Egyptian; Indigenous if local
Abu Ghawsh	Jerusalem	Clan; claims Kurdish origins.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Abu Hassanayn	Gaza	Clan; possible from Hassanayn in Syria or Iraq; linked to Husseini/Hashemite descent.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Abu Khusa	Gaza	Clan; possible from Khusa in Egypt or Transjordan.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Abu Mashaseeb	Dayr al-Balah	N/A (no new claims; possible local Gaza clan).	N/A
Abu Middain	Gaza	Clan; possible Egyptian origins.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Abu Naja	Rafah	Clan; claims descent from Naja in Arabia or Morocco; some link to Quraish.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Abu Samhadana	Rafah	Clan; Bedouin, with Sinai/Egyptian ties.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Abu Sharkh	Gaza	Possible east origins, implying Transjordanian.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Abu Taha	Gaza/Rafah/Khan Yunis	Clan; possible Yemeni or Egyptian roots.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Abu Warda	Gaza	Clan; possible from Warda in Arabia or Egypt.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Adwan	Gaza	Bedouin clan; claims descent from Adwan tribe in Jordan, Hejazi origins.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Agha	Gaza	Claims Turkish or Circassian descent from Ottoman era.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Ahfat	Nablus	N/A (no new claims; possible local Nablus notable).	N/A
Al-Ahmad	Nablus/Jenin	Common; possible descent from Ahmad (variant of Mohammed).	Indigenous
Al-Hajj Muhammad	Nablus	Pilgrim family; claims to Mohammed.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Al-Sayf	Nablus	Sword clan; possible warrior Sahaba links.	Indigenous
Al-Sha’ir	Rafah/Khan Yunis	Clan; claims poetic lineage, possibly from Hejaz tribes.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Alami	Jerusalem	Notable; claims Moroccan or Syrian roots.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Ashur	Khan Yunis	Possible Assyrian or Transjordanian roots.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Atallah	Hebron	Christian connotations; possible Ghassanid.	Levantine but Migrated (Pre-Islamic/Regional Arab)
Bakr	Gaza	Linked to Banu Bakr tribe, Adnanite Arabs from Hejaz.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Bani Himar	Jerusalem	N/A (linked to Banu Himar, possibly Hejazi tribe; scarce info).	N/A
Bani Murra	Jerusalem	Linked to Banu Murra, Hejazi tribe.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Bani Shamsa	Nablus	Clan; claims descent from Shamsa in Arabia (Qahatani or Adnani ties).	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Bani Zayd	Jerusalem	Clan; claims Arabian Peninsula origins, linked to Bani Zeid.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Barghouthi (Barghouti)	Ramallah/Al-Bira/Bethlehem	From Bani Zeid; descent from Omar ibn al-Khattab (Sahabi), via Egypt/Tunisia.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Baytuni	Jerusalem	Possible Christian origins (Beitunia ties).	Indigenous
Buhaisi	Gaza	Clan; possible from Buhaisi in Bahrain or Hejaz.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Burqawi	Nablus	From Burqa; local roots.	Indigenous
Dajani	Jerusalem	Notable a'yan; claims descent from Dajan tribe, possibly Hejazi or Yemeni.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Dakkak	Jerusalem	Notable; possible from Dakkak in Syria or local Jerusalem elite.	Migrated (Arabian/External) if Syrian; N/A otherwise
Darwish	Jerusalem	Sufi connotations; possible Yemeni or Hejazi.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Dira	Gaza	N/A (scarce; possible local Gaza clan or from Dira in Arabia).	N/A
Dughmush	Gaza	Clan; claims descent from Arab tribes in Iraq or Hejaz.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Duwaykat	Nablus	Clan; possible from Duwaykat in Nablus region (local).	Indigenous
Dweik	Hebron	Notable; claims descent from Dweik in Arabia or Ottoman ties.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Freij	Bethlehem	Possible Christian origins.	Indigenous
Hamad	Bethlehem	Praise; common Arab.	Indigenous
Hanun	Tulkarm	Compassionate; possible from Hanun in Syria or local.	Migrated (Arabian/External) if Syrian
Hasan	Jerusalem	Common name; possible descent from Hasan ibn Ali (grandson of Mohammed).	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Haniyya	Ramallah/Al-Bira	From Haniyah tribe, possible Yemeni.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Hilmi	Nablus	N/A (possible local notable; linked to Hilmi in Syria).	N/A
Hillis	Gaza	Clan; claims Yemeni tribal origins.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Hizbun	Bethlehem	N/A (scarce; possible Christian or local Bethlehem clan).	N/A
Husayni	Jerusalem	Claims descent from Husayn ibn Ali (grandson of Mohammed) via Yaman tribe roots.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Ja’bari	Hebron	Notable; claims descent from Jabir ibn Abdullah (Sahabi).	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Jarrar	Nablus	Clan; claims Jordanian or Hejazi ties.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Jaraf	Gaza	N/A (scarce; possible from Jaraf in Arabia).	N/A
Jawwad	Salfit	Generous; possible from Jawwad in Arabia or local.	N/A
Jayyusi	Nablus	Linked to Jays tribe, Arab Peninsula.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Jughan	Khan Yunis	N/A (scarce; possible local Khan Yunis clan).	N/A
Kafarna	Bayt Hanun	Possible Christian origins, implying Ghassanid (Yemeni-Arab Christian) ties.	Levantine but Migrated (Pre-Islamic/Regional Arab)
Kamal	Ramallah/Al-Bira	Perfection; notable, possible Turkish.	Indigenous
Kan’an (Kanaan)	Nablus	From Kanaan; claims Syrian origins.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Ka’raja	Jerusalem	N/A (scarce; possible from Ka'raja in Jerusalem local elite).	N/A
Khalaf	Ramallah/Al-Bira	Successor; possible caliphate ties.	Indigenous
Khalidi	Jerusalem	From Bani Khalid tribe; descent from Khalid ibn al-Walid (Sahabi).	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Khatib	Jerusalem	Preacher family; claims Quraysh or Sahaba ties.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Khoury	Ramallah/Al-Bira	Priest; Christian, Ghassanid Arab from Peninsula.	Levantine but Migrated (Pre-Islamic/Regional Arab)
Lahham	Jerusalem/Bethlehem	Butcher clan; possible Christian Ghassanid roots.	Levantine but Migrated (Pre-Islamic/Regional Arab)
Madhun	Gaza	Notable; descent from Bani Hashim al-Ashraf al-Husayni (Quraish), migrated Mecca-Medina-Ta'if, then various places including Palestine in Mamluk era.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Majayda	Khan Yunis	Clan; claims descent from Majayda in Arabia (possibly Qahtani).	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Mamar	Khan Yunis	N/A (scarce; possible from Mamar in Arabia or local).	N/A
Mansur	Nablus	Victorious; possible Ottoman ties.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Masri	Multiple	"Egyptian"; claims descent from Egyptian migrants in 19th century.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Mattar	Gaza	Possible Egyptian ties.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Milhem	Halhul	Notable; possible from Milhem in Arabia or local Hebron.	N/A
Mughani	Gaza	Clan; claims descent from Mughani in Arabia (Quraish or Hejaz).	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Muhtasib	Hebron	Market inspector; Ottoman-era role, possible Syrian roots.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Musleh	Ramallah/Al-Bira	Reformer; possible local Ramallah notable.	Indigenous
Nasir	Jabalya	Linked to Banu Nasr, possible Hejazi tribe.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Nasr	Qalqilya	Victory; possible Nasr tribe.	Indigenous
Natshi	Hebron	Notable; claims descent from Natshi in Arabia (Tamim or Quraish ties).	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Nimr	Nablus	Tiger clan; notable a'yan.	Indigenous
Nusayba (Nusseibeh)	Jerusalem	Descent from Ubadah ibn al-Samit (Sahabi) and Banu Khazraj (Ansar).	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Qasim	Nablus	Linked to Banu Qasim, Hashemite.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Qawasma	Hebron	Clan; claims Yemeni origins.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Rayyan	Nablus	Common; possible from Rayyan in Arabia (gate of Paradise link, symbolic).	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Reyyes (Rayyes)	Gaza	Notable family; claims Arab elite (a'yan) roots, possibly from Hejaz.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Rishmawi	Bethlehem	Christian; Ghassanid or Yemenite.	Levantine but Migrated (Pre-Islamic/Regional Arab)
Salah	Jerusalem	Linked to Saladin's era, Kurdish or Arab.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Samana	Jabalya	N/A (scarce; possible from Samana in Arabia).	N/A
Shaq’a	Nablus	Notable; claims Hejazi Arab roots.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Shahwan	Khan Yunis	Clan; claims descent from Shahwan in Arabia (Bedouin ties).	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Shawwa	Gaza	Notable; Ottoman-era origins, with claims to Syrian or Transjordanian descent.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Shawwaf	Gaza	Notable; possible from Shawwaf in Arabia or Syria.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Shami	Jenin	From Sham (Syria); Syrian origins.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Simhan	Jerusalem	N/A (scarce; possible from Simhan in Jerusalem local).	N/A
Suwayti	Jericho	Clan; possible from Suwayti in Arabia or local Jericho.	N/A
Ta’amra	Bethlehem	Bedouin; nomadic Arab, with Edomite/Nabatean ties via trade.	Indigenous
Tamimi	Hebron	From Banu Tamim tribe; Adnanite descent from Ishmael via Adnan.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Tawil	Ramallah/Al-Bira	Tall clan; possible Christian Ghassanid.	Levantine but Migrated (Pre-Islamic/Regional Arab)
Tayaha	Gaza (Tribal Confederation)	Bedouin; linked to Tayy tribe, claiming Adnanite descent from Ishmael, with Hejazi origins.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Tuqan (Touqan)	Nablus	Notable; linked to Ta'amira Bedouins, nomadic Arab roots.	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Uraqat	Jerusalem/Jericho	Bedouin clan from Huwaitat region (northwestern Arabia); ancestors from Medina (Hejaz).	Migrated (Arabian/External)
Yahya	Jenin	John; possible Christian links.	Indigenous
Ziyada	Ramallah/Al-Bira	Common; possible from Ziyada in Arabia or local Ramallah.	N/A