WASHINGTON: A large number of Americans are donning the keffiyeh, the distinctive patterned scarf that’s closely linked with the people of Palestine, to demand a truce to Israel’s brutal attacks on Gaza or to show their support for Palestinians.
Sales of the mufflers have increased since the Hamas-Israel war started in October, US distributors add, even as headscarves have been forcibly removed by security forces and police at protests and wearers report being attacked for physical and verbal abuse.
“It was like a light switch. All of a sudden, we had hundreds of people on the website instantaneously and purchasing whatever they could,” said Azar Aghayev, the US provider for Hirbawi, which opened in 1961 and is the only producer of keffiyehs left in the occupied West Bank.
Demand for Keffiyeh Increases to Express Solidarity with Palestinians
“In last two days, the entire stock that we had was just gone.” Hirbawi, which has patented its brand, sells mufflers globally via its German and US websites and on Amazon. All forty variations on the American website, which include many in bright colors as well as the traditional black and white, are sold out, Aghayev added.
Unit sales of keffiyeh mufflers have risen 75 percent in the 56 days between October 7 and December 2 on Amazon.com compared with the earlier 56 days. Searches for “Palestinian scarf for females” increased by 159 percent in the three months to December 4 compared with the earlier three months.
