Protesters across the world have donned the black and white keffiyeh headscarf since Israel launched its assault on Gaza, and makers can't keep up with demand. For those wearing it, it's a symbol of solidarity with the Palestinians. For Israel's supporters, it's a provocation or worse.

Berlin

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel is 'at war' following a surprise attack from Gaza by Hamas militants.

Israel-Gaza War

Palestinian keffiyeh in demand as symbol of solidarity

Across the world, the black and white keffiyeh headscarf has become an emblem of solidarity with the Palestinian cause, and sometimes a problem for those wearing it, as war rages between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza. Activists say police in France and Germany, which have cracked down on pro-Palestinian protests, have cautioned, fined or detained people sporting the chequered scarf. Supporters of Israel see it as a provocation and backing for what they see as terrorism. This is what the keffiyeh means for protester Stefani Costa in Lisbon. It means resistance, the struggle of people who somehow resist colonialism, which is something so brutal in which you lose the rights of your land, your history, your culture. So I think it carries that weight, the weight of freedom, real freedom. Rami al-Ashik, a Palestinian-Syrian poet who lives in Berlin, says people were being asked to take off the keffiyeh. He found this way around the problem, getting one tattooed onto his arm. Israel supporters say wearing the keffiyeh shows a disregard for the 1,200 Israelis killed in a cross-border raid by Hamas militants on October 7, which triggered Israel's assault on Gaza. Ashik and others point to the more than 18,000 people killed in the offensive and Israel's continued occupation of Palestinian territory. Ever since the war in Gaza started, it felt like so urgent for me that this is the time, because all the criminalization of every Palestinian symbol, the Palestinian flag, the keffiyeh, seen as a symbol of terror and being criminalized, like Arabic language everywhere. So I thought, like, now it's the time for me. I want to have it now urgently. The heated debate has descended to violence. In Vermont in the United States last month, three college students of Palestinian descent, two wearing keffiyehs, were shot, leaving one paralyzed. The keffiyeh, pronounced kufiya in formal Arabic, has long been a symbol of Palestinian nationalism. Late PLO leader Yasser Arafat was rarely photographed without one, folded in the shape of historic Palestine. In Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the looms are working full tilt. This is the Heerbawi keffiyeh factory, the last on Palestinian territory. Online orders have soared since Israel started striking Gaza. With a monthly capacity of 5,000 keffiyehs, it will take years to fill the backlog of 150,000 people who've expressed interest. That's according to Nael El-Kassis, Heerbawi's partner in Europe, who spoke to Reuters in Lisbon. It was like switching the light on, you know? It was like we were selling very slow and then suddenly we had a huge demand on keffiyehs. In general, when there is a conflict, symbols play a very important role, and keffiyeh is not an exception. The traditional headscarf first took on a political significance with the revolt against British rule in the late 30s, when rural guerrillas covered their faces with the cloth, historians say. The black and white pattern came in in the 1950s, they say, when British Commander General John Glubb assigned it to Palestinian soldiers in the Arab Legion to distinguish them from the Jordanians' red and white. It was later adopted by Palestinian militants. As the Palestinian flag was banned in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza between 1967 and 1993, the keffiyeh grew as a symbol of the struggle for a Palestinian state. El-Kassis says the protests show the keffiyeh now transcends borders. When we see people go to the street and wear our keffiyeh, wear our own clothes, they wear them and they go to the street and they show solidarity with them. This gives us hope that no, these governments do not represent their people and their people are having something else to say, and in the future, hopefully, things will work differently.

American journalist Evan Gershkovich's secret trial on charges of espionage began Wednesday (June 26) in the eastern Russian city of Yekaterinburg, where he was initially arrested 15 months ago. Gershkovich appeared in a courtroom's glass cage before the closed trial began with his head shaved.

Yekaterinburg

Secret Russian trial begins for U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich

Kenya's president said he would withdraw planned tax rises, bowing to pressure from protesters who had stormed parliament, launched demonstrations across the country and threatened more action this week. Medics said violent clashes between police and protesters had left at least 23 people dead across the country and scores wounded.

Nairobi

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Florida

Astronauts stuck aboard ISS as Starliner issues delay return

NATO has selected Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as NATO's next boss, as the war in Ukraine rages on its doorstep and uncertainty hangs over the United States' future attitude to the transatlantic alliance. So, what does his appointment mean for NATO?

Brussels

NATO appoints Dutch PM Rutte as next chief

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrived in Canberra on Wednesday (June 26) after a hearing on the U.S. Pacific island territory of Saipan. He pleaded guilty to violating U.S. espionage law in a deal that allowed him to head straight home to Australia.

Canberra

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Assange arrives in Australia after guilty plea

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New Delhi

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The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday said it had issued arrest warrants for Russia's top army chief and ex-defense minister over strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure that constituted alleged war crimes.

The Hague

Ukraine Invasion

ICC issues arrest warrants for two top Russian officials

Hundreds gathered at the East Hotel in Canberra to celebrate Julian Assange's release, celebrating what they refer to as his 'journalistic integrity' and 'exposure of war crimes'. Not everyone is happy, with some saying he put the lives of Australian defence personnel at risk.

Hundreds gather to show support for Julian Assange's release

Julian Assange is free and back on home soil in Australia after a 14-year battle. It is unknown if he will return to WikiLeaks; his wife Stella Assange says it will take time for him to heal from the ordeal and come to terms with his freedom. The Prime Minister was on the phone with him as soon as he landed.

Julian Assange lands in Australia, speaks to PM

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange walked free from a court on the U.S. Pacific island territory of Saipan after pleading guilty to violating U.S. espionage law in a deal that allowed him to head straight home to Australia.

Saipan

Julian Assange freed after U.S. guilty plea

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been released after signing a plea deal with the US in Saipan. He is due to arrive in Australia soon to spend time with his wife and family for the first time in over a decade.

Julian Assange freed by U.S. court after plea deal

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London

U.K.'s King Charles welcomes Japan's Emperor for state visit

A secret trial is set to begin in Russia for American Evan Gershkovich. The Wall Street Journal reporter faces espionage charges and potentially 20 years in a Russian prison.

Moscow

Trial set to begin in Russia for U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich

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Port-au-Prince

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Beijing

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Seoul

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Jerusalem

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Bangkok

Julian Assange set to return to Australia after plea deal

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Washington

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Beirut

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Blinken urges Israel's Gallant to make post-war plan

Three days of mourning began in Russia on Monday (June 24), after the death toll from a series of brazen attacks on churches and synagogues in the mainly Muslim region of Dagestan rose to at least 20. Gunmen had gone on a rampage in coordinated attacks in two of the republic's most important cities.

Republic of Dagestan

Russia mourns as Dagestan attack death toll rises

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Hwaseong-si

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says intense fighting against Hamas in Gaza is nearing its end. In his first sit down interview with Israeli media since the start of the war, Netanyahu talked about deploying more troops to the northern border, with Lebanon, and addressed ongoing anti-government protests.

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Gunmen have attacked churches, a synagogue and a police post in Russia’s North Caucasus region of Dagestan, killing at least 15 police and National Guard officers, several civilians and an Orthodox priest along with six attackers according to authorities.

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Israel-Gaza War