One of the historical events our community has not had much exposure to, is what befell Assyrians in Palestine during Nakba and the Zionist occupation. The credit goes to @seyyedreza for writing about this (article in thread). Modern Assyrian presence in Palestine can be

Traced back to the Ottoman Genocide of 1915 (Seyfo) Along with Armenians and Greeks, Assyrians were targeted (at least 300,000 were killed) with many fleeing southward towards Syria and Iraq. A group of refugees fled even further south to Palestine. They were mostly from

Tur Abdin. Many settled in Jerusalem forming the well known Syriac Quarter (they were predominantly from the Syriac Orthodox Church). They became a part of the Palestinian community and enjoyed a stable life. Their numbers would peak in 1948 but they would also drop in the same

Year following the creation of Israel and the expulsion of at least 750,000 Palestinians, with tens of thousands being killed. The refugees of Seyfo became refugees once again. The 1967 war (Naksa) would bring even more tragedy and land loss for Palestinians

It saw Israel complete its take over of Palestine. Zionist occupation of Jerusalem, forced the Assyrians to leave their hub in the Syriac quarter. Those who returned came to their houses taken over and demolished by Israeli settlers, shops confiscated https://roadsandkingdoms.com/2015/learning-the-language-of-jesus-christ/

The majority of Palestinian-Assyrians were now forced into diaspora, with the few remaining inside occupied Palestine, clinging to a close-knit community that still remains mostly in Bethlehem. Sadly it didn’t stop there, Israel would attempt to divide them from the rest of

their Palestinian Brethren with the development of the “Aramean” identity. Pushed by the Israeli govt, this not only was an attempt to drive a wedge between them and their fellow Palestinians but it also had the affect of damaging their Assyrian identity. Despite

It’s meagre success in instilling Aramean identity, Israel together with some reactionary church officials, has succeeded in erasing nearly all references to Assyrian identity across Palestine. Cruelly, Assyrians in Palestine have had to face attempts at being severed from

Their Palestinian and Assyrian communities. This is what Assyrians (from the Syriac Orthodox sect) in Palestine have had to endure. The purpose of this thread is to first and foremost extend solidarity with Palestinians. It’s also intended to remember and learn about our Assyrian

family who are part of the story as well. Big thanks again goes to Alex Shams for his writings on this. I encourage people to follow him @seyyedreza. He has written about plenty of regional issues and so he deserves a lot of credit for being a voice for others