Historically, Palestine as an ethno-nationalist movement, formed in opposition to Jewish return. The keffiyeh as a political symbol, only gained widespread popularity as a means to hide one’s identity from British authorities while protesting Jewish immigration - protests like mob violence, lynchings, burning businesses and homes, etc. Kind of like a Klan hood.
You’re just wrong on this one. Palestine existed way before the Zionist movement. If a group of people move into your ancestral home and tell you, “hey my fairy tale book here says this place is mine” will you leave quietly? Palestinian protests stem from this problem. Saying a keffiyeh is equivalent to a klan hood is fucking bizarre, because keffiyehs are a cultural symbol that come from people living in arid climates. It has become a political symbol to support Palestine in this genocide taking place against them.
“It’s really not until the 1930s that we start to see the keffiyeh change in meaning, not by the patterning that’s in the scarf, but in its use.”
-Wafa Ghnaim, a Palestinian dress expert and a senior research fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
“Until the 1920s, the keffiyeh was almost exclusively worn by Bedouin men, according to Ghnaim, and it was simply a way to identify nomadic men in historic Palestine from villagers, fellaheen, and town people.”
“According to Ghnaim, the first time we see the keffiyeh used as a political statement was during the Arab Revolt in Palestine in 1936 — an uprising against British rule that included demands for independence and an end to Jewish immigration.”
"At that time, the majority of the armed resistance was taking place in the villages, and the fighters used the keffiyeh to hide their features — helping it to become associated with the revolution. The revolution’s leaders issued an order for men to wear the keffiyeh to express solidarity with the revolutionaries and so that the British could not distinguish the fighters from others."
“In the 1960s, it became associated with Palestinian nationalism, particularly due to its adoption by leaders like Yasser Arafat. During this era, it represented solidarity and resistance against the Israeli occupation.”
“Around the same time, the fedayeen — a term used to describe nationalist Palestinian militants — conducted guerilla operations while wearing the keffiyeh.”
“Other prominent Palestinians also donned the keffiyeh during that time, included Leila Khaled — who was involved in two plane hijackings in 1969 and 1970 as part of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.”
Right, none of which is ethno-nationalism. British rule colonised a ton of countries around the world, a lot of which revolted against them. Why is Palestine any different in this case? Because they fought against Jewish immigration who openly declared that they wanted to take over the land? That’s not immigration, that’s invasion.
Yeah, leftists would never support genocide in order to protect their own power structure. Except for that one time… Or that other time… And also…
But i’m sure you’d never see leftist college students TODAY running around LARPing as murderous ethno-nationalists.
But man, those liberals… Crazy, right?!
How exactly are these images supporting your claim of “college students LARPing as murderous ethno-nationalists”? Because they’re wearing a Kufiya?
Historically, Palestine as an ethno-nationalist movement, formed in opposition to Jewish return. The keffiyeh as a political symbol, only gained widespread popularity as a means to hide one’s identity from British authorities while protesting Jewish immigration - protests like mob violence, lynchings, burning businesses and homes, etc. Kind of like a Klan hood.
You’re just wrong on this one. Palestine existed way before the Zionist movement. If a group of people move into your ancestral home and tell you, “hey my fairy tale book here says this place is mine” will you leave quietly? Palestinian protests stem from this problem. Saying a keffiyeh is equivalent to a klan hood is fucking bizarre, because keffiyehs are a cultural symbol that come from people living in arid climates. It has become a political symbol to support Palestine in this genocide taking place against them.
“It’s really not until the 1930s that we start to see the keffiyeh change in meaning, not by the patterning that’s in the scarf, but in its use.”
-Wafa Ghnaim, a Palestinian dress expert and a senior research fellow at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
“Until the 1920s, the keffiyeh was almost exclusively worn by Bedouin men, according to Ghnaim, and it was simply a way to identify nomadic men in historic Palestine from villagers, fellaheen, and town people.”
“According to Ghnaim, the first time we see the keffiyeh used as a political statement was during the Arab Revolt in Palestine in 1936 — an uprising against British rule that included demands for independence and an end to Jewish immigration.”
"At that time, the majority of the armed resistance was taking place in the villages, and the fighters used the keffiyeh to hide their features — helping it to become associated with the revolution. The revolution’s leaders issued an order for men to wear the keffiyeh to express solidarity with the revolutionaries and so that the British could not distinguish the fighters from others."
“In the 1960s, it became associated with Palestinian nationalism, particularly due to its adoption by leaders like Yasser Arafat. During this era, it represented solidarity and resistance against the Israeli occupation.”
“Around the same time, the fedayeen — a term used to describe nationalist Palestinian militants — conducted guerilla operations while wearing the keffiyeh.”
“Other prominent Palestinians also donned the keffiyeh during that time, included Leila Khaled — who was involved in two plane hijackings in 1969 and 1970 as part of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.”
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/06/1216150515/keffiyeh-hamas-palestinians-israel-gaza
Right, none of which is ethno-nationalism. British rule colonised a ton of countries around the world, a lot of which revolted against them. Why is Palestine any different in this case? Because they fought against Jewish immigration who openly declared that they wanted to take over the land? That’s not immigration, that’s invasion.