Palestinian Keffiyeh

The Palestinian ''keffiyeh'' () is a distinctly patterned black-and-white ''keffiyeh''.

White keffiyehs had been traditionally worn by Palestinian peasants and bedouins to protect from the sun, when Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire. Its use as a symbol of Palestinian nationalism and resistance dates back to the 1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine, which saw its wider use by more sections of Palestinian society.

Outside of the Middle East and North Africa, the ''keffiyeh'' first gained popularity among pro-Palestinian activists; it is widely considered to be an icon of solidarity with the Palestinians in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

History

Ottoman period

Traditionally worn by Palestinian farmers, during the Ottoman period the ''keffiyeh'' signalled that the wearer was rural, in contrast to the tarboosh worn by the urban classes.

Mandatory Palestine

Early Jewish migrants to Mandatory Palestine adopted the ''keffiyeh'' because they saw it as part of the authentic local lifestyle.

The white ''keffiyeh'' worn by Palestinian men of any rank, became a symbol of Palestinian nationalism during the Arab Revolt of the 1930s. This reached a peak in 1938, when the leadership of the revolt ordered that the urban classes replace their traditional tarbush hats with the keffiyeh. The move was intended to create unity, as well as allow the rebels to blend in when they entered the cities.

Post-1948

Its prominence increased during the 1960s with the beginning of the Palestinian resistance movement and its adoption by Palestinian politician Yasser Arafat.

The black-and-white fishnet pattern ''keffiyeh'' would later become Arafat's symbol and he would rarely be seen without it; only occasionally would he wear a military cap, or, in colder climates, a Russian-style ''ushanka'' hat. Arafat would wear his ''keffiyeh'' in a semi-traditional way, wrapped around his head via an '' agal''. He also wore a similarly patterned piece of cloth in the neckline of his military fatigues. Early on, he had made it his personal trademark to drape the scarf over his right shoulder only, arranging it in the rough shape of a triangle, to resemble the outlines of the territory claimed by Palestine. This way of wearing the ''keffiyeh'' became a symbol of Arafat as a person and political leader, and it has not been imitated by other Palestinian leaders.

Another Palestinian figure associated with the ''keffiyeh'' is Leila Khaled, a member of the armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Several photographs of Khaled circulated in the Western newspapers after the hijacking of TWA Flight 840 and the Dawson's Field hijackings. These photos often included Khaled wearing a ''keffiyeh'' in the style of a Muslim woman's ''hijab'', wrapped around the head and shoulders. The most famous of these images is a photograph taken by Pulitzer Prize winner Eddie Adams. The photographs brought publicity to the hijackings and rendered Khaled an iconic status within the broader Palestinian liberation movement as well as within leftist movements globally. This was unusual, as the ''keffiyeh'' is associated with Arab masculinity, and many believe this to be something of a fashion statement by Khaled, denoting her equality with men in the Palestinian resistance.

The colors of the stitching in a ''keffiyeh'' are also somewhat associated with Palestinians' political sympathies. Traditional black and white keffiyehs became associated with Fatah. In 2021, clashes broke out at Al-Azhar University after Hamas security forces demanded that students and staff members remove their black and white ''keffiyehs'', an action that critics believe was motivated by the ''keffiyeh''′s association with Fatah. Red and white ''keffiyehs'' were adopted by Palestinian Marxist groups, such as the PFLP.

Popularity with pro-Palestinian activists

In Europe and North America, keffiyehs are often worn by non-Palestinians as a political expression of solidarity with the Palestinian cause. While Western protesters wear differing styles and shades of ''keffiyeh'', the most prominent is the black-and-white ''keffiyeh''. This is typically worn around the neck like a neckerchief, simply knotted in the front with the fabric allowed to drape over the back. Other popular styles include rectangular-shaped scarves with the basic black-and-white pattern in the body, with the ends knitted in the form of the Palestinian flag. Since the Al-Aqsa Intifada, these rectangular scarves have increasingly appeared with a combination of the Palestinian flag and Al-Aqsa printed on the ends of the fabric.

In 2006, the prime minister of Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero gave a speech in which he criticized Israel harshly, then accepted a ''keffiyeh'' from members of the audience and had his photo taken wearing it.

The keffiyeh print has been used many times in fashion by brands such as Topshop, ASOS, Cecilie Copenhagen, Boohoo or the Israeli brand Dodo Bar Or, bringing controversy and debates about cultural appropriation.

In 2007, the American clothing store chain Urban Outfitters stopped selling ''keffiyehs'' after a user on the Jewish blog ''Jewschool'' criticized the retailer for labelling the item as an "anti-war woven scarf". The action led to the retailer withdrawing the product.

Appropriation

British-Palestinian hip-hop rapper Shadia Mansour denounced cultural appropriation of the ''keffiyeh'', defending it as a symbol of Palestinian solidarity, in her first single, "" ("The ''keffiyeh'' is Arab"). She performs wearing a traditional Palestinian '' thawb'' and proclaims in her song: "This is how we wear the ''keffiyeh''/The Arab ''keffiyeh''" and "I'm like the ''keffiyeh''/However you rock me/Wherever you leave me/I stay true to my origins/Palestinian." On-stage in New York, she introduced the song by saying, "You can take my falafel and hummus, but don't fucking touch my ''keffiyeh''."

Symbolism

The patterns on the Palestinian ''keffiyeh'' symbolize various themes:

* Olive leaves: Strength, resilience, perseverance.
* Fishnet: Connection between Palestinian sailors and the Mediterranean Sea.
* Bold lines: Trade routes going through Palestine, including the Silk Road.

Production

Palestinian ''keffiyehs'' are now largely imported from China. With the scarf's growing popularity in the 2000s, Chinese manufacturers entered the market, driving Palestinians out of the business. For five decades, Yasser Hirbawi had been the only Palestinian manufacturer of ''keffiyehs'', making them across 16 looms at the Hirbawi Textile Factory in Hebron. In 1990, all 16 of the looms were functioning, making around 750 ''keffiyehs'' per day. By 2010, only two looms were used, making a 300 ''keffiyehs'' per week. Unlike the Chinese-manufactured ones, Hirbawi uses cotton only. Hirbawi's son Izzat stated the importance of creating the Palestinian symbol in Palestine: "the ''keffiyeh'' is a tradition of Palestine and it should be made in Palestine. We should be the ones making it." After the 2023 Gaza war demand has doubled – it could not be met because Hirbawi has a monthly production of 5,000.

See also

* List of Palestinian national symbols
* Palestinian culture

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:keffiyeh, Palestinian
Palestinian clothing
Palestinian inventions
National symbols of Palestine