Dating a Palestinian man or woman, what to actually expect

Dating a Palestinian person means knowing the village

Many Palestinians in the US will tell you not just the city but the village their family is from, even if they grew up in Chicago, New Jersey or the Bay Area. That place matters. It's in the family name, the food, the accent and the stories.

Palestinian families here came from the West Bank, Gaza, Jerusalem, and from Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Gulf. Most are Muslim, and there are many Christian families, from Bethlehem, Ramallah and elsewhere. Ask your partner where their family is from, and listen to the answer.

The news is personal

For a lot of Palestinians, the news isn't something far away. It's family. Some days are heavy, and your partner may want to talk or may want quiet. Follow their lead.

You don't need to have every opinion figured out. You do need to listen, and to understand that home is not an abstract idea to them.

Food, embroidery and olive oil

Maqluba is flipped out of the pot at the table, and everyone watches to see if it holds. Musakhan, mansaf and knafeh come up a lot too. Families often have olive oil from a relative's trees, and they're proud of it.

You'll probably see tatreez, the traditional embroidery, on a dress, a pillow or a keffiyeh at some point. It's a big part of identity, so ask about it.

When things get serious

Many Palestinian families want to meet a partner once it's serious. Some still do a jaha, where men from the groom's family formally visit to ask for the bride's hand, often followed by coffee and, for Muslim families, reading the Fatiha. Others keep it simple. Talk about what each family expects before you get there.

Meet someone Palestinian

On HeyArab you can see someone's country of origin, their languages, and how involved their family is before you match. See Palestinian singles in the US, or read how to tell your Arab parents you're dating.