A recent poll conducted by Near East Consulting (of a random sample of 900 Palestinians over the age of 18 in East Jerusalem the West Bank, and Gaza) asked how Palestinians identify themselves.
- 61 percent identify as "Muslims first"
- 20 percent as "Palestinians first"
- 15 percent as "'human beings first"
- 3 percent as "Arabs first."
Comment: Even after the decades, for someone like me who came to the Middle East in the age of Gamal Abdel Nasser and pan-Arab nationalism, these numbers still surprise. (October 13, 2010)
