Keffiyeh - a symbol of identity and solidarity

Around the world, the black and white Palestinian headscarf, the keffiyeh, has become a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinian cause as war rages between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. It has also become a problem for those who wear it, according to Reuters.

Supporters of Israel see the headscarf as a provocation in support of what they see as terrorism.

Thousands of people wore keffiyehs in major protests in Britain and around the world in support of the Palestinians and calling for a ceasefire in the conflict.

But activists say police in France and Germany - which have broken up pro-Palestinian demonstrations - have warned, fined and detained people carrying it.

Rami Al Ashek, a Palestinian-Syrian poet living in Berlin, believes he has found a way around the problem. He has a keffiyeh pattern tattooed all over his arm.

"The keffiyeh is criminalized and people are asked to take it off," he said. "I say: OK, you can make me take it off, but you can't tear my arm off." "I celebrate my anger and my criminalized culture," he told Reuters as the tattoo artist finished his work on his arm. "It's also a good reminder to never forget how many people were killed."

However, the German newspaper "Zideutsche Zeitung" called the keffiyeh a "problematic fabric" and suggested that German pro-Palestinian demonstrators wear Nazi uniforms instead.

Supporters of Israel say wearing the headscarf is a sign of disrespect for the 1200 Israelis who were killed in a cross-border attack by Hamas militants on October 7, which sparked Israel's attack on Gaza.

Palestinian supporters point to over 18 killed in the offensive and continued Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.

In a heated atmosphere, keffiyeh also led to violence. In Vermont in the United States last month, three students of Palestinian origin - two of whom were wearing keffiyehs - were shot. One student was paralyzed as a result of his injuries, reports Reuters.

A symbol of revolt

The keffiyeh has long been a symbol of Palestinian nationalism, the best example being the late Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat, who was rarely photographed without a headscarf. He folded it so that it was in the shape of historical Palestine.

The headscarf first gained political significance in the uprising against British rule in 1936-1939, when rural guerrillas used the cloth to cover their faces, historian Anna Lingala told Reuters. It was a sign of "unified resistance", she said.

The black-and-white pattern appeared in the 1950s, when British commander General John Glab assigned it to Palestinian soldiers in the Arab League to distinguish them from Jordanian soldiers who wore a red-and-white pattern, the American historian said in his book "Memories of the Uprising." Ted Swedenberg.

It was later adopted by Palestinian militants, such as Leila Khaled, who hijacked an American TWA airliner in 1969. South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela, whose African National Congress was close to the Palestinian Authority, occasionally wore the keffiyeh.

Since the Palestinian flag was banned in the occupied West Bank and Gaza between 1967 and 1993, the keffiyeh became a symbol of the struggle for a Palestinian state.

"What was once used to conceal the identity of the rebels against British colonialism is now a symbol of that identity," said the poet Ašek.

Wanted scarf

Since the beginning of the Israeli invasion of Gaza, there has been a drastic increase in orders for headscarves on the site of Hirbawi, the last keffiyeh factory in the Palestinian territory.

With a monthly capacity of 5000 keffiyehs, it will take years to supply the 150 people who have expressed interest in buying the headscarf, Nael Alkasis, the company's partner in Europe, told Reuters.

Loai Hayatleh, a salesman at an oriental goods store in Berlin, said that after the war in Gaza, demand for keffiyehs jumped 200 percent.

"We had to order supplies that arrived from Syria by plane on two occasions," said Hayatleh, whose shop attracted the attention of the police because of the Palestinian flag he displayed above the shop window.

Police in Berlin and Paris say wearing the keffiyeh is not illegal unless they cover the face. However, police in Berlin said they could limit or ban outdoor gatherings if they felt public safety was at risk, and that could include banning the keffiyeh.

Gassen Mzugi was stopped by police as he was leaving a march in Paris in November and told to remove the red keffiyeh he was wearing over his shoulders. "They were calm, but the message was clear - put it away or you won't leave," said this 39-year-old programmer.

Scientist Josra Mesai, 44, was asked by police to remove her scarf while on the Paris metro. She refused and was fined 30 euros for an unauthorized protest.

"I was in shock and cried. It's a symbol - it's the least we can do," she told Reuters.