The Palestinian Keffiyeh: More Than a Fashion Statement.

You must have seen the white and black patterned scarf at a pro-Palestine rally or while walking around especially in winter when many Palestinians wear it to keep themselves warm.

In fact, the weather doesn’t really matter as Palestinians are proud to wear it at any gathering to express their Palestineness.

The Keffiyeh is a traditional Palestinian headwear that is mainly made from cotton. Traditionally, men in the middle east wore a head-dress (Keffiyeh, Hatta or Shemagh) to protect themselves from the sun as they worked mainly in agriculture. During the Ottoman era, the urban placed the Keffiyeh on their shoulders. Nowadays, men in some countries especially in the Gulf continue to wear headwear as a symbol of masculinity and elegance. Like Mohammed Assaf, Palestinian Singer and UNRWA youth ambassador, shown below.

While the Arab headwear varies in colours the Palestinian one is black and white. The largest part of the pattern represents a fishnet to assert the solid relationship between Palestinians and the Mediterranean sea. The bold lines that surround the fishing nets show the trade routes that passed through Palestine throughout history. The other side of the bold lines shows olive leaves which represent resilience and commitment to the land. The olive trees are an inseparable part of the Palestinian heritage and culture.

The patterns of the Palestinian Keffiyeh

Kaffiyeh became a symbol of resistance during the British Mandate when Palestinian revolutionaries would use it to mask their faces to avoid arrest by British soldiers. As a form of support to resistance, all Palestinians started wearing Keffiyeh as well.

The introduction of the Kaffiyeh to the mainstream was not until the 1960s when Palestinian Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat (shown here) started wearing it in solidarity. He wore it in a certain way on his head and over his right shoulder, in a triangle shape to represent the map of historic Palestine pre-1948.

When Israeli occupation authorities banned the Palestinian flag in 1967 up to the Oslo Accords in 1993, the Keffiyeh became a major symbol of Palestinian identity.

In the 80s wearing Keffiyehs became popular with the West, as a token of solidarity and support to the Palestinian cause mainly during the First Intifada in 1987 and the Second in 2000.

Many fashion designers have used the Keffiyeh in their designs, this caused a lot of debate as to whether it’s a celebration of culture or dissertation and misplacement of a national symbol.

Rolene is an ex-pat South African and resides in Modiin, Israel. She can be heard every day on ‘Your Afternoo’n with Howard Feldman and the ‘Morning Mayhem’ every Friday on Chai FM, a Johannesburg based radio station providing commentary and analysis on Israel and the Middle East.

Marks also lectures on issues as diverse as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel and the South African narrative, BDS and a variety of other topics.  More from Rolene

Israel – Kaleidoscope of Cultures

Israel is a land of many paradoxes. In this glorious juxtaposition of the ancient and modern, you can walk in the footsteps of the prophets but also be amazed by some of the world’s leading cutting edge technology. You can hear the church bells toll at the same time you hear the muezzin call the faithful to the mosque to pray. All while hearing the steady prayers in Hebrew at the Western wall. Israel’s cities have their unique personalities that serve to reinforce the country’s history, position in the region and story.

But it is Israel’s people who are the country’s true treasure. Israel is a kaleidoscope of cultures and much like the popular instrument if you seek to look at a different, vibrant picture. All you have to do is adjust your focus.

While Jews have had a presence in the land of Israel for millennia, we have been joined over the centuries by other nations. Some have stayed but most have left and following the founding of the modern state of Israel in 1948, the country has served as home. Not just for the many who have been here through the generations, but also those who responded to the invitation from Prime Minister Ben Gurion, to participate in the ingathering of the exiles.

From all four corners of the world they came. Diaspora communities from every conceivable country, some voluntarily. But many because the threat of persecution meant they needed to leave, and leave quickly.

Israel’s modern history is a tale of daring and chutzpah, in the attempt to rescue Jewish communities under threat. No sooner than the State of Israel had been declared, then 850,000 Jews from Arab countries were forced to flee. Many made Israel their home and today the majority of Israel’s population trace their roots back to Morocco, Iraq, Yemen and other Arab countries. One of the great advantages of the recently signed Abraham Accords is that many Israelis of Morocco descent now have the opportunity to revisit and trace their roots.

The devastation of the Holocaust saw the genocide of two thirds of Europe’s Jews. Many of the survivors who had lost their families and loved ones and saw no future for themselves on a continent that felt hostile, made their way to what was then British Mandate Palestine. They joined the ranks of those pioneers that would help defend and build the fledgling country in the years after Israel was declared a state. Slowly, the exiled were returning home.

In the decades to come, Israel would send rescue missions to Yemen and Ethiopia to bring distressed communities home. The result today is a an Israel that has absorbed Jews from all corners of the world – from India and South Africa, Australia and America, Ethiopia and Russia. 82 nationalities, with many different languages and cultures all call Israel home.

Jews are not Israel’s only citizens. At least 20% of the Israeli population are Israeli Arabs Israeli Arabs are fully franchised members of Israeli society and have contributed enormously to the country. While there are still many areas that need improvement, Israeli Arabs serve in the Knesset, holding ministerial positions, lead civil society, serve in the military and are amongst the IDF’s most decorated officers, serve in the judicial system as judges, head multi-billion dollar corporations and more.

Arab Israelis follow either the Muslim or Christian religions. Arab Israelis are exempt from compulsory military service but recent statistics released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) see a steady yearly increase in the amount of volunteers from the community signing up to serve in the military or perform national service.

“A covenant of blood”

The relationship between Israel’s Jewish and Druze population is so sacred that it is referred to a bond forged by blood. Israel’s Druze population makes up about 2% of the population and are fiercely loyal to the country. There are other significant Druze communities in Lebanon and Syria and Israel’s community live mostly in the Golan region in the north. Not much is known about the Druze religion but recent Pew research revealed that nearly all Druze (99%) believe in God, including 84% who say they are absolutely certain in their belief. But there are no set holy days, regular liturgy or obligations for pilgrimage, as Druze are meant to be connected with God at all times. Druze are active in public life and subject to the military draft. In fact, for more than four decades, the Israeli military had a primarily Druze infantry unit called the “Herev”, (sword battalion).

Israel is the one country in the Middle East where the Christian community is growing. Christians face persecution in many parts of the Middle East and constitute at least 2% of Israel’s population and this number is expected to grow. Christians make up 7% of Israel’s Arab population, and 77% of Christians in Israel are Arab. The largest Arab Christian population centers in Israel are Nazareth (21,400), Haifa (16,500) and Jerusalem (12,900). Arab Christian women have some of the highest education rates in the country.