The Samaritans: A living bridge to Palestine's past

To most people, the term 'Samaritans' recalls the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan, a story deeply embedded in Western culture that celebrates voluntary and unexpected kindness to strangers in need.

Yet few realise that they are not just figures from scripture, but a living community that still exists today.

The small ethno-religious group, numbering less than 900, live in an area stretching from Mount Gerizim, also known as Jabal Tor, near Nablus in the occupied Palestinian West Bank, to Holon in Israel.

Both Samaritan communities are well-integrated into their respective societies and politically neutral, holding both Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian citizenship. While those in Holon are mandatorily conscripted into the Israeli military - but often choosing not to serve in the West Bank - those in the village of Kfar Luza, or Kiryat Luza, on Mount Gerizim are entirely exempt.

While their population in ancient times was much larger - with estimates of one million in the 5th century - their decline results from multiple waves of conquest and conversions over the centuries. Their general reluctance to accept converts also threatens their shrinking numbers, although many have also started looking abroad for marriage partners.

Straddling Israel’s military occupation of Palestinian territory, their unique history places them on a sensitive fault line, one that brings both challenges and opportunities as they strive to maintain their traditions.

Samaritanism: A unique history

Claiming to descend from the remnants of the northern Israelite tribes of the Holy Land, “Samaritan” means “keeper” or “guardian” in various Semitic languages.

It is thought that the community gradually split from Judaism over the centuries, with a key catalyst, among other factors, being the refusal to let Samaritans help rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem around 520 BCE, prompting the community to build their own on Mount Gerizim.

Abood Cohen, who serves as the community’s unofficial spokesperson to the international media, resides in Kfar Luza on Mount Gerizim. The hill overlooks the city of Nablus and is not far from the illegal Israeli settlement of Har Brakha.

“Well, the truth is we believe Judaism split from the Israelites who were on Har Gerizim,” Cohen tells The New Arab.

Although the Samaritan religion is similar to Judaism, they assert that they are the purest representatives of the ancient Israelite religion and differ in many respects.

For example, while Judaism regards Jerusalem as the holiest city, Samaritans believe that Mount Gerizim or Jabal Tor instead holds this distinction. Samaritans also claim that their dialect of Hebrew preserves the original script and intonation, whereas the Hebrew used in Judaism employs the Aramaic square script and predominantly Sephardic and Ashkenazi pronunciation.

While the Jewish Torah and Samaritan Pentateuch share overall similarities, they differ in interpretation.

Raed Debie, a political science lecturer, researcher, and spokesperson at An-Najah National University in Nablus who specialises in minorities in Palestine, notes that the Samaritans have a distinct calendar system and Passover sacrifice in Mount Gerizim, compared to modern Jewish Israeli traditions.

“In many ways, the Samaritan community functions as a living bridge [to] the ancient populations in this land, including the Canaanite and Israelites because … their presence in Palestine has been uninterrupted since the time of the [Abrahamic] prophet Moses,” he tells TNA, citing this as proof of the rights of Palestinians to the Holy Land.

Stretching across both the occupied Palestinian West Bank and Israel, Debie notes that while both communities are essentially the same people, those who moved to Holon in 1967 - mainly for economic reasons - have more complex relations with Palestinians.

While some individuals maintain cordial ties, even choosing to avoid deployment in the West Bank, others have embraced more mainstream Israeli narratives.

Samaritan identity across the divide

Cohen defines his community's unique identity as one that navigates both Palestinian and Israeli realities while remaining staunchly Samaritan.

“We have a Palestinian identity reflected in our traditions, food, weddings, and ID cards. I studied in Nablus for 14 years, speak fluent Nablusi Arabic, and we even participate in Palestinian elections, so a significant part of us is Palestinian,” he tells TNA.

“Additionally, we have connections to the 12 tribes of the Jewish people, specifically Judah and Benjamin, which makes us kind of cousins. But most importantly, we identify as Samaritans.”

Ishaq Radwan, another Samaritan who worked at the Palestinian Authority (PA) Ministry of Education for three decades before transferring to the Foreign Ministry, describes his community as “a bridge of peace” between Israelis and Palestinians. However, he himself fully identifies as Palestinian and acknowledges that “like the Palestinians, we are living under occupation”.

Israel’s 59-year military occupation of the West Bank, deemed illegal under international law, often creates difficulties for the residents of Kfar Luza, especially due to the presence of checkpoints at the village’s entrance.

“When we want to bring a guest, a friend, or a worker to Kfar Luza, or if someone is having a wedding and the workers are from Nablus, it can cause delays. I have friends who come to play basketball every Thursday, but they can sometimes be denied entry,” says Cohen. “The checkpoint operates from around 7am to 10pm, so if you want to leave at 10pm, you cannot.”

He says the Israeli military checkpoint is “unnecessary”, especially since his community has never felt threatened by Palestinians.

The Samaritans of Kfar Luza are unique in that they possess both Israeli and Palestinian passports and IDs, which can sometimes evoke suspicion and confusion among Israeli airport and border officials.

For this reason, many were arrested by Israel during the two Palestinian Intifadas, or uprisings, spanning the late 1980s and early 2000s, respectively.

Despite their political neutrality, Debie says, their simple act of participation in a majority-Muslim Palestinian society with rights as full citizens indirectly supports the Palestinian cause by demonstrating that the roots of the conflict are political, not religious.

A window into the ancient roots of Palestinians

It is thought that a significant number of Palestinian families in Nablus and its periphery were originally Samaritans who converted to Christianity or Islam over time, as the region was once part of the ancient Samaritan kingdom.

This theory finds support in genetic studies and oral histories, and, as Debie notes, the numerous archival documents in Samaritan libraries contain the lists of family trees.  

Radwan expresses a similar view, noting that his community’s population was much larger prior to mass conversions under multiple waves of conquest.

Samaritan community spokesperson Abood Cohen, meanwhile, insists that his people have resided in the Holy Land long before Zionism, a fact evidenced by their ancient Hebrew dialect, traditions, clothing, places of worship, and archaeological finds across Palestine and Israel.

For instance, Cohen claims he can trace his ancestry back 130 generations. Although the variety of Hebrew used by the Samaritans is primarily for liturgical and ceremonial purposes, Cohen emphasises the rich oral history behind it.

In comparison to Israeli Hebrew, which is more widely spoken, both Cohen and Radwan believe that their dialect retains greater authenticity and depth. Cohen claims Samaritans have successfully preserved over 1,000 melodies and chants in their ancient dialect.

Radwan, like Palestinian academic Raed Debie, insists that the Samaritans, not modern Israeli Jews, are the true modern representatives of the Israelites because, despite their shrinking numbers, they have preserved their customs and traditions for more than 3,000 years after Jewish exile.

However, the Samaritan dialect of Hebrew will likely never extend beyond liturgical use anytime soon, as both Arabic and Israeli Hebrew are considered more practical for daily communication. Moreover, community leaders say that their unique script makes it difficult for either Israelis or Palestinians to read.

Beyond language, Cohen says, Samaritan clothing styles and chants could be integrated into various forms of Palestinian cultural expression, such as through art exhibitions or Dabke, a traditional dance.

Ultimately, the Samaritans sit physically and culturally between Israeli and Palestinian society - yet belong fully to neither. Their uninterrupted historical continuity, however, challenges both the Zionist myths central to Israeli politics and society, as well as oversimplified definitions of modern Palestinian identity.

Tarek Yousef Tahan is a journalist with over five years of experience in digital and social media. He earned his Master’s degree in Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Professional Writing & Communications from the University of Toronto in Canada

Follow him on X: @UliveTm

Edited by Charlie Hoyle