A Palestinian family is a large community of extended family members with a lineage that can be traced to ancestors who resided in Palestine.

Families

There are numerous prominent

Palestinian Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

families who have contributed to the

society A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soci ...

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

and

economy An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

of historical Palestine. Usage of the term Palestinian tribe is relatively uncommon and has differed depending on context. One refers to ancient tribes typically described in scriptures and

Abrahamic The Abrahamic religions are a group of religions centered around worship of the God of Abraham. Abraham, a Hebrew patriarch, is extensively mentioned throughout Abrahamic religious scriptures such as the Bible and the Quran. Jewish tradition ...

religious texts, such as the

Hivite The Hivites ( he, ''Ḥiwwîm'') were one group of descendants of Canaan, son of Ham, according to the Table of Nations in (10:17). A variety of proposals have been made, but beyond the references in the Bible to Hivites in the land of Canaan, ...

s. However, the historicity of such communities is often questioned due to their claimed descent from Noah who is described by some academic references and tertiary sources as being a fictional figure. More modern groups however are verifiable and include the

Khalidi family Al-Khaldi ( ar, الْخَالْدِي), also spelled Al Khalidi is the last name given to members of the tribe of Bani Khalid. The tribe traditionally claims descent from Khalid ibn al-Walid a senior companion of the Prophet Muhammad, and esteem ...

, the El-Issa family, the al-Husayni family, the Abu-Ezam family, the

Nashashibi family Nashashibi ( ar, النشاشيبي; Arabic transliteration, transliteration, Al-Nashāshībī) is the name of a prominent Palestinian people, Palestinian family based in Jerusalem. After the First World War, during the British period, Raghib al- ...

, the

Tuqan family The Tuqan clan ( ar, طوقان ''ṭūqān'', also spelled ''Toukan'', ''Touqan'', ''Tukan'' and ''Tokan'') is a prominent Palestinian and Jordanian political and business family. During the Ottoman era, they dominated the political and socio-e ...

, the

Nusaybah family The Nussaiba Clan, commonly spelt in English as Nuseibeh ( ar, عائلة نسيبة; also spelt ''Nusaibah'' and ''Nusseibeh'') is the oldest Muslim dynasty in Jerusalem. The Nussaiba family has a long history and tight bonds with the Holy Land, ...

, Shawish clan, The Barakat family, Shaath family,

Shurrab family The Shurrab family is a family in Khan Younis and Gaza in the Palestinian territories, which had 2 members killed by the Israel Defense Forces on 16 January 2009 during the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict. A son, Amer Shurrab, attended Middleb ...

Al-Khalil family Al Khalil (الخليل) is an old Arabic tribe who live in the village of Jammain, in the district of Nablus in the West Bank. A fraction of the family migrated and settled in Egypt. They belong to the mother tribe of Al Zeitawi. Al Zeitawi is a ...

Ridwan dynasty The Ridwan dynasty (also spelled ''Radwan''; tr, RizvanZe'evi, 2012, p39/ref>) was the most prominent pasha family in Palestine, ruling the southwestern districts of the Damascus Eyalet ("Province of Damascus") in the 16th and 17th centuries und ...

, Al-Zeitawi family,

Abu Ghosh clan The Abu Ghoshes (also written AbuGosh/ AbouGhawsh), known as "ancien seigneurs feodaux", are an old wealthy landowning family, who ruled the Jerusalem mountains and controlled the pilgrimage route from the coast to Jerusalem during the Ottoman Em ...

Doghmush clan The Doghmush ( ar, دغمش, pronounced "Doe-moosh" or "Durmush", ''see spelling'') are a Palestinian family from the Gaza Strip. Johnston kidnapping The family became known internationally in 2007 as they proclaimed themselves as the ''Jaysh al-Is ...

Douaihy The House of El Douaihy (also "Al Douaihy" in some cases Doueihy, Douaihi, Doueihi, Dowaihi, Duayhe, Duwayhi', Dwaihy, ar, الدويهي, french: de Douai), is an important Lebanese and Levantine noble family of French origins of which can be ...

family, Hilles clan,

Jarrar family Jarrar ( ar, جرار) is a large Palestinian family that served as rural landlords and tax-collectors ('' mutasallims'') in the Jenin area during Ottoman rule in Palestine. During this era, they were the most powerful of the rural families in Pal ...

Negev Bedouin The Negev Bedouin ( ar, بدو النقب, ''Badū an-Naqab''; he, הבדואים בנגב, ''HaBedu'im BaNegev'') are traditionally pastoral nomadic Arab tribes ( Bedouin), who until the later part of the 19th century would wander between Sa ...

s, the Jayyusi family, and the Al-Risheq family. Prominent Palestinian families sometimes assigned specific roles to members of their community. For example, Khalidi and Alami clan members held senior administrative positions in society. One of the oldest and biggest families in Palestine is the Barghouti family who trace their ancestors back over 1000 years with over 2.65 million family members with the majority spread over seven countries. Genetical tests have proved that the family is closely related to the prophet Mohammad’s friend

Omar Bin Al-khattab ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate ...

which has given them a big role in the politics of Islam. The Barghouti family claims to have ancestral roots in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

though this has not been independently confirmed.

Significant Christians

Although Palestinian Christians represent a relatively small minority, many of the most socioeconomically influential families in Palestine have been Christian. The El-Issa family, from Jaffa, are one of the most well known families due to their numerous contributions to Palestinian journalism dating from the late 1800s to the middle of the 20th century. Their first newspaper ''Al-Asma'i dates back as early as 1887. Another prominent well-to-do

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...

family, the Abu-Ezam family, were of the wealthiest business families in

Ramla Ramla or Ramle ( he, רַמְלָה, ''Ramlā''; ar, الرملة, ''ar-Ramleh'') is a city in the Central District of Israel. Today, Ramle is one of Israel's mixed cities, with both a significant Jewish and Arab populations. The city was f ...

.U.S. News & World Report - Volume 129, Issues 9-17 - Page 137 The Abu-Ezam family owned and operated multiple businesses that ranged from the manufacturing of halva, a sweet confection popular in the

Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...

, to construction materials.

References

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