History of Palestinians in Los Angeles

The first wave of Palestinian migration to the United States occurred in 1908 when the Ottoman Empire began mandating military service for Palestinians. [1] The second wave occurred in 1948 after the Arab-Israeli War caused many Palestinians to leave their homes. The third and largest wave occurred in 1967 as a result of the Six-Day War in Israel. Although the majority of Palestinian immigrants settled on the East Coast, economic opportunity brought large concentrations of Palestinians to Los Angeles.[1]

No reliable immigration or census figures exist for Palestinian Americans. The count of Palestinian-Americans is complicated by the lack of a Middle East origin box to check on Census forms, leading the majority of Palestinians to self report as "white."[2] The population of the Palestinian diaspora in California is estimated to be 57,222 (after adjusting for undercounting), of which approximately 15,000 live in Los Angeles County.[3] Foreign born Palestinians in Los Angeles County originate mostly from Asia and the Middle East, followed by Latin America.[4]

In the 1970s, a series of terrorist attacks took place against prominent Palestinian-American activists and institutions, culminating in the murder of anti-discrimination activist Alex Odeh in Santa Ana in 1985.[5] In 1987, eight Palestinians were arrested in Los Angeles. They were charged under an antiquated anti-communism law called the McCarran-Walter Act that accused them of "supporting an organization that advocated world communism" for their possible association with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.[6] According to the ACLU, the eight were "prosecuted for ideas, beliefs and thoughts of a magazine for which none have been writers or editors.”[7]

As of 2010, there were 1,793 Palestinians over the age of 16 living in the Los Angeles County area, 65% of whom were in the labor force (employed or seeking employment).[4] The unemployment rate at this time was 2.8%: much lower than the national average for the USA.[4] The majority of Palestinians in LA work in the private sector (65% of workers), with 18.4% employed by the Government and 10.2% self-employed.[4] The management, business, science and arts sector employs the highest percentage of Palestinians in LA, followed by sales and office work.[4] Based on the 893 total households included in 2010 US Census data, the mean household income for Palestinians in LA County was $96,729: higher than the national average for the USA.[4]

The majority of Palestinians in LA enrolled in school attend elementary school, followed by graduate school and college. 46.8% of the Palestinian Diaspora in LA over 25 years old hold a bachelor's degree or higher and 89.6% are educated to high school level or higher.[4]

The Palestinian diaspora in Los Angeles has a variety of organizations and institutional groups.

Political organizations with chapters in Los Angeles include: Al-awda, dedicated to the Palestinian right of return,[8] Palestinian American Women's Association, which works toward the empowerment and education of Arab American women and children,[9] and American Muslims for Palestine, which works toward educating people about Palestine in order to motivate changes in US foreign policy regarding Palestine.[10]

Los Angeles County also has humanitarian relief organizations such as: Palestinian Children's relief, a non profit which focuses on providing medical relief and aid for younger Palestinians in the Middle East,[11] and Islamic Relief which provides humanitarian aid to communities after disasters.[12]

• List of Palestinian Americans