Palestinian Arabs’ Jewish ancestry

Tracing the Tribe: The Jewish Genealogy Blog: Israel: More 'hidden' Jews

Many if not most Palestinian Arabs are descended from Jews who were forced to convert to Islam over the past one thousand years. There are numerous stories of Arabs remembering Jewish customs and knowing of specific ancestors who converted. Apparently most Jews did not leave Judea after the two wars against Rome, and centuries later when forced by Muslim rulers to chose between conversion and exile they converted.