The origin of Palestinians and their genetic relatedness with other Mediterranean populations

The genetic profile of Palestinians has, for the first time, been studied b y using human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene variability and haplotypes. The comparison with other Mediterranean populations by using neighbor-joining d endrograms and correspondence analyses reveal that Palestinians are genetic ally very close to Jews and other Middle East populations, including Turks (Anatolians), Lebanese, Egyptians, Armenians, and Iranians. Archaeologic an d genetic data support that both Jews and Palestinians came from the ancien t Canaanites, who extensively mixed with Egyptians, Mesopotamian, and Anato lian peoples in ancient times. Thus, Palestinian-Jewish rivalry is based in cultural and religious, but not in genetic, differences. The relatively cl ose relatedness of both Jews and Palestinians to western Mediterranean popu lations reflects the continuous circum-Mediterranean cultural and gene flow that have occurred in prehistoric and historic times. This flow overtly co ntradicts the demic diffusion model of western Mediterranean populations su bstitution by agriculturalists coming from the Middle East in the Mesolithi c-Neolithic transition. Human Immunology 62. 889-900 (2001). (C) American S ociety for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics, 2001. Published by Elsevi er Science Inc.