Tag: Palestinian nationalism

Last month, Rashida Tlaib proudly wore her mother’s thobe to her historic swearing-in as the first female Palestinian American member of Congress, inspiring masses of women around the world, especially in the Palestinian territories, to tweet photos of themselves in their ancestral robes. That’s what makes it a brilliant symbol.” The Palestinian thobe traces its history to the early 19th century, when embroidery was confined to the villages. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians either fled or were expelled from their homes during the war surrounding Israel’s creation. “The dress was taken up and politicized.” Over decades of conflict that has claimed thousands of lives on both sides, Palestinian nationalism has taken on many forms. Armed struggle later gave way to calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem — lands captured by Israel in 1967. When Israeli soldiers confiscated Palestinian flags at protests, women wove forbidden national maps and colors into their dresses, according to the Palestinian museum exhibit. Now, Palestinian women of all social classes wear thobes to assert national pride at weddings and special occasions. “Embroidery evokes the timeless connection of Palestinians to the land,” Dedman said. Natalie Tahhan, a designer based in east Jerusalem, produces capes from digital prints that replicate traditional embroidery stitches, “connecting tradition with what is new and stylish.” Tlaib’s now-viral Palestinian thobe, which the Michigan Democrat called “an unapologetic display of the fabric of the people in this country” and said it evoked memories of her mother’s West Bank village, rekindled enthusiasm worldwide about the dress. “These dresses are our link between the past and future,” Saca said.