Israeli-Palestinian Migrants in Jerusalem: An Emerging Middleman Minority

Abstract

The increased tendency of Israeli-Palestinians to migrate to Jerusalem, despite internal and external barriers for their migration to Israel's large cities, is examined through a survey of 201 migrants. The role of higher education institutions as an initial pull factor explains their highly educated profile, but opportunities as a middleman minority between Israel and East Jerusalem Palestinians, who lack Israeli citizenship, are prime motives for staying in the city, despite limited housing and schooling choices, associated with not being identified with either Jewish or Palestinian Jerusalem. Although diverging from traditional middleman minorities, in their white-collar public and professional service concentrations and in serving a coethnic group, middleman attributes of Israeli-Palestinians in Jerusalem are most profound, based on being bilingual and possessing necessary formal credentials. Their case serves to broaden the context for the application of the middleman minority concept and to demonstrate the potential and limitations of middleman functions.

Keywords:

• Middleman Minorities
• Internal Migration
• Double Marginality
• Israeli-Palestinians
• Jerusalem

Acknowledgement

The authors thank Maya Choshen for her contribution to the study.

Notes

[1] Palestinian residents of Jordanian land that was captured by Israel in 1967 and annexed to Jerusalem, including those born after 1967 to these residents, are considered as permanent residents. They are entitled to receive social benefits and to participate in the municipal elections, although they boycott them, but cannot vote to the Israeli legislature.

[2] Partly financed by the State.

[3] Numbers have increased somewhat after 2007.

[4] Except for physiotherapy at Bethlehem University.

[5] The growth of special education is a consequence of high rates of intra-family marriages among East Jerusalem's Palestinians, and growing investment in special education, including the employment of paramedics.

[6] Students under the age of 20 are not admitted, a barrier for Israeli-Palestinians who do not serve in the Israeli army, particularly for women who may be limited in their study options after marrying.