Palestinian Migration to Latin America

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
Palestinian Migration to Latin America
Latin America has the largest population of Arabs, a population staggering between 17 to 30 million in all nations outside the Middle East. The migration started in the 19th century to what is believed that many Arabs thought their tickets were leading to America only to land in Portuguese and Spanish speaking nations. This did not deter them, Arabs in the Latin American nations have managed to rise above ranks politically, economically, socially and professionally and garner the reputation of their hosting nations CITATION Sal16 \l 1033 (Saliba). This paper studies the Palestinian migration to Latin America identifying the factors that led to the migration, the acculturation process and the relationship between the Palestinian emigrants with their home nation.
Introduction
Emigration of the Ottoman Empire in Latin America comprised of countries now called, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, a process that began towards the end of the 19th century to the mid-20th century. Lebanese and Syrians migrated to Brazil, Mexico and Argentina, Palestinians migrated to Central and southern American countries CITATION Tob17 \l 1033 (Boos). 1870 marked the end of the Ottoman Empire and a beginning of the emigration of Palestine to Latin America. Secondly, the shift was also due to economic reasons, there was a need for their religious handcrafts in Europe, in America, and they sought to attend the Trade affairs starting in 1896. In Latin America, they were known as middleman minorities and they bridged the gap in retail trade CITATION Cec13 \l 1033 (Baeza).
Palestinians moved to Sao Paulo and Buenos Aires and further crossing the Andres cordillera to avoid competition with other Arabs particularly the Lebanese and Syrians. They settled in Peru, Honduras, El Salvador and Chile CITATION Cec13 \l 1033 (Baeza). Unlike commonly believed, the Arabs emigration can be dated further in the history, these emigrants moved from and back to their countries CITATION Joh14 \l 1033 (Handal), the Young Turk Revolution of 1908 led to the first boom of Palestine emigration. This is because the Ottoman Empire demanded all military service of the subjects, Christina parents wanted to protect their sons from this compulsory induction as well as from serving as cannon fodder. Therefore, they sent their sons to relatives leaving in Latin America, the Muslims lacked the social connection to do so explaining why the emigration comprised of Christians only CITATION Cec13 \l 1033 (Baeza).
Factors leading to Emigration
Palestinian emigration in Latin America was caused by two reasons, economic and political. Economic factors were beneficial to both Palestine and host nations but political reasons devastated both nations. Emigration dates in last decades of the 19th century for economic reasons CITATION Cec13 \l 1033 (Baeza). Political conflicts in Arab Israel conflict pushed the Palestine out of the Palestine and Israel took over the nation.
Emigration into Arab gulf and other continents such as Europe, Africa and America was economic CITATION Joh14 \l 1033 (Handal). The World War 1 suffered Palestine economically, men moved to Latin America for business and women as their wives or daughters. In the mid twentieth century, Arabs moved to Arab gulf to find the jobs provided by infrastructure construction and the oil boom. European appearance in Latin America for both economic and colonial reasons allowed for Palestine to migrate to these nations. Chile attracted emigrants due to the nation’s nitrates and for Honduras it was coffee and Banana exports. Latin America was very resourceful for the Europeans CITATION Joh14 \l 1033 (Handal). When they migrated in Brazil and other Latin America nations as well, they ventured into trade unlike other emigrants who were exploited in slavery. They went directly into various trades industry where they thrived very well and were given the name Turks which basically meant peddler CITATION His19 \l 1033 (History of the Palestinian Diaspora). There was a belief that Arabs possessed a special ability to make profits.
These emigrants were poor when they landed to their host countries but their hard work enabled them to open shops and venture in flower and textile industries as we as in banking and manufacturing. These avenues opened doors for the children of these emigrants to have high profile professions such as doctors, lawyers and politicians CITATION Lam17 \l 1033 (Oualalou). They worked for long hours and spent little. Thrift was highly discouraged so that upon going back to Palestine they would have something to show, some did go back very wealthy further fueling the emigration to American Eldorado CITATION Cec13 \l 1033 (Baeza). Secondly they also brought the credit system and modernized the economics of their host countries CITATION Lam17 \l 1033 (Oualalou).
After the Great Depression, Latin American economy deteriorated and a move was made to exclude exportation and capital on importation of locally made goods. Therefore, political leaders looked for people with capital and craft to manufacture products and only the Arabs were already economically established were willing to make this risk. Juan Yarur established the first and largest cotton factory in Chile and in Central America, Jacobo Kattan opened the first clothing brand. A need for a proper banking system for the Palestine investment rose up due to the budding nature of banking system in Latin America and Yarur opened the BCI bank that is still operational up to date.
Politically as afore mentioned, the mandatory requiremt for the ottoman subject to be in the military convinced most families to send their children in Latin America to escape this obligatory induction CITATION Cec13 \l 1033 (Baeza). The first emigration to latin America can be traced back in 1609, Arabs were expelled from Spain by King Philip II and they migrated to Latin America. Political imigration devastates both the host and mother nation and it is usually individual and disorganized. In Honduras, the host population was hostile against the successful palestinians and created conflict. The Palestinian emigration is grouped into two- pre and post Nakba, the pre Nakba comprises of palestinians before mass exile and the post Nakba comprise of those that migrated after the three years exodus of 1947 to 1949, this was during the Arab Israeli war. The latter fomed the Palestinian refugees and the former were able to settle permanently in their host nations CITATION Joh14 \l 1033 (Handal).
In 1947, there was a six days war that resulted in the Israel’s occpying Gaza, west Bank and east Jesrusalem. These lands were previosly inhabited by the palestinians. As a move to be more humanitarian and take care of the refugess displaced after the war, Latin America was seen as the most condusive area to relocate the displaced palestinians. The emigration offices in israel provided the palestines with money, one way ticket particularly to Paraguay and even supported them on arriving in the host country. These immigrants left their identity card and signed a declaration in hebrew and arabic that they had left of their own will and would not return without special permitCITATION UH \l 1033 (Karam).
After the shooting by the two palestinians in Israel Embassy in Paraguay that occurred in 1970, South American countries became unsettled of the palestinians and deportation began in some countries. In Brazil due to the fear that the arabs at the border had played a part in the shooting, offices were allowed to expell all Lebanese and palestinians at the border. Other arabs especially writers chose to distant themselves from the killing and others kept a low profile through out the 2 years trial process. The arab israeli conflict of 1947 is what led to the palestines emigrating to South American countries such as Brazil and ParaguayCITATION UH \l 1033 (Karam).
Unfortunately the palestinians that had moved to the Arab Gulf were also expelled from Kuwait in 1991 when Iraqi invaded the nation. They moved to America which became the primary settlemet for the Palestinians from Kuwait as well. In 1970, Jordan had a civil war and the palestinians that had sought refuge after being displaced from Israel were beig displaced again and they moved to Lebanon. The same displacement followed them there when Israel attacked Lebanon and this led all the Palestinians to abandon the Gulf countries and they moved to Latin AmericaCITATION His19 \l 1033 (History of the Palestinian Diaspora).
Assimilation
The process of settling for these emigrants was not easy, it was what Oualalou calls a limbo, they were in a place where they were not wanted and neither were they rejected. This is because they were not considered white and therefore not of any importance to the white race but neither were they black or yellow. Even though they were beneficial economically they were also seen as devious with a hunger to make money and by definition their reputation was tainted in the aristocratic societies CITATION Lam17 \l 1033 (Oualalou). There is a slight discrimination where most Arabs are called turcos or turks which is meant as an insult. While studying the arabs in diaspora there is a form of discrimination and their adapta...