The Palestinian people are an Arab ethno-nationalist group who live primarily in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Israel, Jordan, and parts of southern Lebanon and Syria. They are Arabs who have lived throughout history in a certain geographical region in the Middle East, which generally refers to the geographic region spanning from the Mediterranean Sea in the east to the Jordan River in the west. Palestine is an important region to several of the worlds major religions, including Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, and it includes the city of Jerusalem and other holy lands.

Palestinian citizenship developed during the 20th century, starting during the British Mandate era and in different forms following the Oslo Peace process. The term "Palestinian" evolved from a geographic description of citizenship to a description of geographic citizenship with an Arab ethnicity. Palestinians found themselves being categorized as Israeli-Palestinians, Jordanian-Palestinians, United Nations Relief and Works Agency Palestinians, and Gaza Palestinians, or Palestinians of another country.

Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel, the majority of them descended from Palestinians who remained in the country after the 1948 war, constitute about one-fifth of the Israeli population. They are typically identified as Arab-Israelis to distinguish them from Palestinians who live in the West Bank and Gaza, but many of them strongly identify with the Palestinian people and consider the term "Arab-Israeli" a misnomer.

In summary, Palestinians are an Arab ethno-nationalist group who live primarily in the Middle East, including the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Israel, Jordan, and parts of southern Lebanon and Syria. They are not a nationality of a specific country, but rather a group of people who share a common identity and history.