• A study concludes that 66% of Jewish Israelis are hypersensitive to the pollen of native olive trees, compared to only 16% of Arabs in Israel.
• The Israeli authors draw parallels to Australians who are highly allergic to Australian native olive trees compared to their indigenous population.
A study titled “Hypersensitivity to pollen of Olea europaea in Israel” was conducted by researchers affiliated with Kupat Holim, Zamenhoff Allergy Clinic in Tel Aviv, Israel. It concluded that 66% of Jewish Israelis are hypersensitive (allergic) to the pollen of native olive trees, compared to only 16% of Arabs in Israel.
The study reads:
"A total of 1573 patients suspected of allergy to pollen by their general practitioners were investigated. The patients came from urban and rural communities all over the country. Most of them were Jews, of various ethnic origins: Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Oriental, or mixed. Ninety patients were (non-Jewish) Arabs from Um-El-Fahem, a town in the Samarian foothills, whose inhabitants have lived in this olive rich area for at least a few generations."
The authors assert that Arabs within the research conducted have lived in native olive rich areas (Palestine) for several generations, not just for 2-3 generations (immigrant parents and grandparents) as most Israelis.
The study also concludes that this pattern follows Australians who are highly allergic to Australian native olive trees compared to their indigenous population. This ties the idea that this allergic reaction was likely not spontaneous amongst Israelis, since their higher values are statistically significant in separation compared to the indigenous Arab population.
