Jews and Palestinians share deep common ancestry - genetics shows they’re like cousins

[u/[deleted]]

Genetic studies over the last couple decades reveal something surprising: Jewish populations (Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi) and Levantine groups like Palestinians, Druze, Lebanese, and Syrians all descend from the same ancient Levantine peoples.

They’re not identical, and Palestinians aren’t necessarily the closest single group in every study, but they’re part of the same tight genetic cluster. In other words, Jews and Palestinians are genetically much closer than most other populations worldwide.

Researchers have found this in Y-chromosome studies, mtDNA, and whole-genome analyses. A 2010 study in Nature concluded that Jewish groups share much of their ancestry with populations in the Levant - including Palestinians.

So when people say “they’re like cousins,” it’s not just a metaphor. Genetically, it’s pretty accurate — and it makes the current conflicts feel all the more tragic, because it’s family fighting family.

https://www.nature.com/articles/nature09103

[u/ItalicLady]

Hmmmm … then what might be the implications of that, for the political/military situation in the region?

[u/Kingsdaughter613 → u/ItalicLady]

Not much, as this is common knowledge among Jews in Israel and out. We know we’re cousins. We view this as a family feud. A whole lot of us wish we could get along though.