Palestinian Americans

Palestinian Americans (فلسطينيو أمريكا), are Americans of Palestinian ancestry. It is difficult to say when the first Palestinian immigrants arrived into the United States; however, most of the first immigrants to arrive were Arab Christians escaping persecution in Ottoman Palestine in the late 19th century. Later immigrants came to the country fleeing the Arab–Israeli or Palestinian conflicts.

Early immigration
The first Palestinians who immigrated to the United States arrived after 1908, when the Ottoman Empire passed a new conscription law mandating Palestinians into the military. Palestinian immigration began to decline after 1924, with a new law limiting the number of immigrants, as well as the Great Depression, which deeply worsened immigration.

Palestinian exodus
The population in the United States began to increase after World War II. The Arab-Israeli War, the Nakba, and the independence of the state of Israel in 1948 caused many Palestinians to immigrate, most as refugees. However, the greatest wave of Palestinian immigration began in 1967 after the Six-Day War, or as Arabs call it the June War. This wave of immigrants reached its peak in the 1980s.

Modern history
Most Palestinians that immigrated to the United States in this period were more educated than the Palestinians that arrived until 1967, thanks to the schools sponsored by the United Nations and the increasing number of universities in the Middle East. Political activism by Arab Americans have abruptly increased after 9/11, when Palestinian activists such as Linda Sarsour began to speak for civil rights for American Muslims and human rights for Palestinians.

U.S cities
Most Palestinians settled in the areas surrounding Paterson, and Bay Ridge, which together make up the New York Metropolitan Area. Many other Palestinians settled in Chicagoland, while some others settled in the Los Angeles metro area, Metro Detroit, and Jacksonville metro; alongside other Mediterranean communities, including the Lebanese, Syrians, Greeks, Italians, Egyptians, Jordanians and Turks.

Paterson, New Jersey has its southern half of the city nicknamed Little Ramallah, with an Arab American population estimated as high as 20,000 in 2015. It has the most concentrated area of Palestinian Americans in the whole United States.

Bay Ridge's Arab community in Brooklyn, New York, is also a significant neighborhood home to an estimated population of 35,000, in which its largest Arab ethnic groups are Palestinians and Yemenis. However, it is also home to many other Arab ethnic groups, making Bay Ridge's Arab community also a strongly diverse population.

Chicago, Illinois is also home to a significant population of Palestinians. There is an estimated population of 85,000 Palestinians in Chicago, and Palestinians form 60% of the Arab community there. Bridgeview, Illinois, also has a significant population of Palestinians Americans.

According to the 2000 United States Census, there were 72,112 people of Palestinian ancestry living in the United States, increasing to 85,186 by the 2009-2013 American Community Survey. It is difficult to count the numbers of Palestinian Americans, since the United States does not recognize the State of Palestine, and only recognizes "Palestinian" as a nationality.

Religion
Even though most Arabs who immigrated to the United States are Christians which represent Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant; most Palestinian Americans practice Islam instead of Christianity.

Language
Palestinians speak Palestinian Arabic. Palestinians who once lived in Israel or the Palestinian territories may have spoken Modern Hebrew as a second language. Many Palestinians are fluent in other languages.

Education
In the United States approximately 46% of Palestinians have obtained at least a college degree, compared to 18% of the American population. The study of culture and the Arabic language is increasingly important among Palestinians, especially in college and graduate school. Thus, some Palestinian or Arab organizations are working to monitor and improve the teaching of Arab history and culture in the American schools.

Socioeconomics
Among the 90 percent of Palestinian American men and 40 percent of women who are in the labor force, 40 percent and 31 percent, have either professional, technical, or managerial positions. There are also large numbers in sales: 26 percent of men, and 23 percent of women. The self-employment rate for men is a significant 36 percent (only 13 percent for women), compared to 11 percent for non-immigrant men. Of the self-employed, 64 percent are in retail trade, with half owning grocery stores. In terms of income, the mean for Palestinian families in 1979 was $25,400, with 24 percent earning over $35,000 and 20 percent earning less than $10,000.

Culture
Palestinian culture is a blend of Eastern Mediterranean influences. Palestinians share commonalities with nearby peoples of the Levant, including Egyptians, Lebanese, Syrians, and Jordanians.

Cuisine
Palestinians cook many foods native to Palestine, or a broader definition, the Levant. Examples are kanafeh, hummus, falafel, musakhan, waraq al-'inib, and other Palestinian dishes. These foods, such as Kanafeh, have been very popular in the United States, mostly in New York City.

Business
Palestinian Americans have owned Arab groceries, shops and restaurants ever since their immigration to the United States. Most of these businesses are in large cities such as New York City and Chicago.

Politics
While Palestinian Americans are typically not more politically active than the population at large they are very politically aware of their history and the issues facing their homeland. They are more active in social organizations, such as mosques, churches and local associations, than in political ones, though the former have strong political implications. In the absence of a Palestinian state, the unity and preservation of communities in the diaspora serve to maintain Palestinian identity.

Activism
After the wake of 9/11, many Palestinian Americans, such as Linda Sarsour, became activists in order to defend American Muslims, Arab and Palestinian Americans. Many of these activists support the one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, they have received criticism from American conservatives for being "anti-Zionist".

Government
Only several Americans of Palestinian ancestry served as congressmen. Justin Amash, is a Republican congressman of Palestinian ancestry, serving in the U.S House of Representatives representing Michigan's 3rd District.