There are currently 4,500 Armenians living in Palestine. In 1948 however, The population was higher at 15,000. Many have migrated in recent decades due to conflict and economic struggle, with thousands repatriating to Soviet Armenia or migrating to other countries during the 1948 Arab Israeli War. The presence of Armenians in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem goes back to the 4th century AD with the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem being established since 638 AD.