SOURCE: ALJAZEERA January 15, 2017
Chile: Palestinians gather to forge unified diaspora
‘Developing international leaders is going to help us to achieve things, but it won’t happen overnight.’Santiago, Chile – In Santiago’s Patronato neighbourhood, the green, red, white and black of the Palestinian flag can be found on almost every corner. The words “Free Palestine” are etched on restaurants selling falafel and shawarma. The heady aroma of cardamom coffee drifts from corner bakeries serving baklava and the best pitta and rugag bread in town.
Chile is home to the largest – and one of the oldest – Palestinian immigrant communities outside of the Arab world. An estimated 350,000 immigrants and their descendants live here.
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Now, the happy thing is that almost all of Chile’s Palestinians are Christians, are prosperous, and are well assimilated in Chile. This is so common of much of South America’s Arabs. South America should be encouraged – with compensation, of course – to take in some of the Arabs from the contested areas.