Arab migration within the Middle East — including to/from the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean — has been an intrinsic feature of the region for millennia. Hundreds of thousands left the Middle East entirely. “Arab migration flows were, in the main, illegal, and therefore unreported and unrecorded. Dr. Shpak-Lisak indicates that the substantial increase of the Arab/Muslim population of Palestine was initiated during the first half — and toward the end — of the 19th century. The 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica recorded that “the inhabitants of Palestine are composed of a large number of elements, differing widely in ethnological affinities, language and religion.

Source: The North Africa Journal September 13, 2020 07:30 UTC