This video sheds light on a largely yet deeply rooted Palestinian community living in the heart of Jerusalem’s Old City. Just steps away from al-Aqsa Mosque, around 100 Palestinians of African descent reside in a small compound, out of sight, yet central to the city’s history. In 2011, the Alternative Information Center spoke with political activist Mahmoud Jiddah, who reflected on his family’s story, the community’s daily struggles, and how Afro-Palestinians define their identity in a city that persistently questions their belonging.
The Afro-Palestinian community in Jerusalem traces its presence back centuries. Its ancestors arrived as pilgrims from regions such as Sudan, Chad, Nigeria, and Senegal, later settling permanently through work, marriage, and service at Islamic holy sites. Over generations, they became an integral part of Jerusalem’s social and political life, particularly in the Old City around al-Aqsa Mosque. Many still live in buildings originally allocated to them by the Islamic waqf. While their African heritage forms an important part of their history, they identify unequivocally as Palestinian, rooted in birthplace, family ties, language, and shared political experience. The title “Afro-Palestinian” names ancestry, not separation.
Today, the Afro-Palestinian community’s presence in Jerusalem is increasingly threatened through the same structural pressures imposed on all Palestinians across the city yet sharpened by their small numbers and strategic location. Residency revocations, constant policing, surveillance, detention, and severe housing restrictions in waqfproperties steadily narrow the space in which this community can live, thrive, and remain. Its story is not marginal; it is part of Jerusalem’s living fabric, the ongoing struggle over who is allowed to belong and Israel’s systematic efforts to Judaize the city and erase its Palestinian and Muslim heritage and presence.