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ThePalestiniankeffiyeh (Arabic:كوفية,romanized: kūfiyya) is a distinctly patterned black-and-whitekeffiyeh.
White keffiyehs had been traditionally worn by Palestinian peasants and bedouins to protect from the sun, whenPalestine was part of theOttoman Empire.[1] Its use as a symbol ofPalestinian nationalism and resistance dates back to the1936–1939 Arab revolt in Palestine, which saw its wider use by more sections of Palestinian society.[2]
Outside of theMiddle East and North Africa, thekeffiyeh first gained popularity among pro-Palestinian activists; it is widely considered to be an icon of solidarity with thePalestinians in theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict.
Traditionally worn by Palestinian farmers, during the Ottoman period thekeffiyeh signalled that the wearer was rural, in contrast to thetarboosh worn by the urban classes.[1]
Early Jewish migrants toMandatory Palestine adopted thekeffiyeh because they saw it as part of the authentic local lifestyle.[3]
The whitekeffiyeh worn by Palestinian men of any rank, became a symbol of Palestinian nationalism during theArab Revolt of the 1930s.[4][5][6] This reached a peak in 1938, when the leadership of the revolt ordered that the urban classes replace their traditionaltarbush 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.[7]
Its prominence increased during the 1960s with the beginning of the Palestinian resistance movement and its adoption by Palestinian politicianYasser Arafat.[5]
The black-and-white fishnet patternkeffiyeh 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, aRussian-styleushanka hat. Arafat would wear hiskeffiyeh in a semi-traditional way, wrapped around his head via anagal. He also wore a similarly patterned piece of cloth in theneckline of hismilitary fatigues.[8][9] 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 atriangle, to resemble the outlines of the territory claimed byPalestine. This way of wearing thekeffiyeh became a symbol of Arafat as a person and political leader, and it has not been imitated by other Palestinian leaders.[10]
Another Palestinian figure associated with thekeffiyeh isLeila Khaled, a member of the armed wing of thePopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Several photographs of Khaled circulated in the Western newspapers after the hijacking ofTWA Flight 840 and theDawson's Field hijackings. These photos often included Khaled wearing akeffiyeh in the style of a Muslim woman'shijab, wrapped around the head and shoulders. The most famous of these images is a photograph taken by Pulitzer Prize winnerEddie 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 thekeffiyeh is associated with Arab masculinity, and many believe this to be something of afashion statement by Khaled, denoting her equality with men in the Palestinian resistance.[11][12]
The colors of the stitching in akeffiyeh are also somewhat associated with Palestinians' political sympathies. Traditional black and white keffiyehs became associated withFatah. In 2021, clashes broke out atAl-Azhar University afterHamas security forces demanded that students and staff members remove their black and whitekeffiyehs, an action that critics believe was motivated by thekeffiyeh′s association with Fatah.[13] Red and whitekeffiyehs were adopted by PalestinianMarxist groups, such as thePopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).[14]
In Europe and North America, keffiyehs are often worn by non-Palestinians as a political expression of solidarity with the Palestinian cause.[15][16][17][18] While Western protesters wear differing styles and shades ofkeffiyeh, the most prominent is the black-and-whitekeffiyeh. This is typically worn around the neck like aneckerchief, 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 thePalestinian flag. Since theAl-Aqsa Intifada, these rectangular scarves have increasingly appeared with a combination of the Palestinian flag andAl-Aqsa printed on the ends of the fabric.[citation needed]
In 2006, the prime minister of Spain,José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, gave a speech in which he criticized Israel harshly, then accepted akeffiyeh from members of the audience and had his photo taken wearing it.[19]
In September, 2025, Colombian PresidentGustavo Petro appeared in New York City'sTimes Square wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh around his neck in a pro-Palestinian demonstration.[20] The event happened during his visit to attend theUnited Nations General Assembly.[21] Petro used a megaphone to address the crowd, saying "we need a powerful army of countries who do not acceptgenocide" and urging U.S. soldiers to disobey the orders ofTrump and instead "obey the orders of humanity".[22][23][21] The U.S. State Department responded hours later by revoking his visa, citing "reckless and incendiary actions".[20]
The keffiyeh print has been used many times in fashion by brands such asTopshop,ASOS,Cecilie Copenhagen,Boohoo or the Israeli brandDodo Bar Or, bringing controversy and debates aboutcultural appropriation.[24]
In 2007, the American clothing store chainUrban Outfitters stopped sellingkeffiyehs after a user on the Jewish blogJewschool criticized the retailer for labelling the item as an "anti-war woven scarf".[5] The action led to the retailer withdrawing the product.[5][25]
British-Palestinian hip-hop rapperShadia Mansour denouncedcultural appropriation of thekeffiyeh, defending it as a symbol of Palestinian solidarity, in her first single, "al-Kūfīyah 'Arabīyah" ("Thekeffiyeh is Arab"). She performs wearing a traditionalPalestinianthawb and proclaims in her song: "This is how we wear thekeffiyeh/The Arabkeffiyeh" and "I'm like thekeffiyeh/However you rock me/Wherever you leave me/I stay true to my origins/Palestinian." On-stage inNew York, she introduced the song by saying, "You can take myfalafel andhummus, but don't fucking touch mykeffiyeh."[26]
The patterns on the Palestiniankeffiyeh symbolize various themes:
Palestiniankeffiyehs are now largely imported fromChina. With the scarf's growing popularity in the 2000s, Chinese manufacturers entered the market, drivingPalestinians out of the business.[29] For five decades, Yasser Hirbawi had been the only Palestinian manufacturer ofkeffiyehs, making them across 16looms at the Hirbawi Textile Factory inHebron. In 1990, all 16 of the looms were functioning, making around 750keffiyehs per day. By 2010, only two looms were used, making a 300keffiyehs 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: "thekeffiyeh is a tradition of Palestine and it should be made in Palestine. We should be the ones making it."[30] Following the2023 Gaza war, demand has doubled; it could not be met, because Hirbawi has a monthly production of 5,000.[31]
While the kufiya signified social inferiority (and rural backwardness), the tarbush signaled superiority (and urbane sophistication).
In August 1938, at the height of the insurgency, the rebel leadership commanded all townsmen to discard the tarbush and don the kufiya. The order was issued to help the rebels blend in when they entered the cities, but it was also a move in the wider social struggle... Official colonial sources, which noted that the fashion spread with "lightning rapidity," saw this more as the result of a conspiracy than as a manifestation of the spirit of unity (Palestine Post, 2 September 1938). Once the rebellion ended, the effendis of the town reassumed the tarnish, owing in part to British pressure (Morton 1957:98-100).
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