The Scots and Palestinians are cut from the same cloth

The pettiness of Zionist groups and their ability to claim “terrorism” at every turn, never ceases to amaze me. Nor does their pathological pursuit of anything and anyone pro-Palestine.

Just the other day I was at a fundraising event for Gaza where the host wore a striking tartan on his cuffs and hemline. There are many tartans in Scotland, but I’d not seen this one before and was delighted when he told me that the tartan was a special design in recognition of Palestine. It was even registered with the Scottish Register of Tartans which was established by an act of the Scottish Parliament in November 2008.

When it comes to protecting their culture, a dark and bloody history has taught the Scots to take these issues very seriously.

Under the name of The Spirit of Palestine, this special tartan is rich in symbolism of the Palestinian struggle. The primary inspirations for the design are the Palestinian flag and the trademark keffiyeh scarf. The tartan incorporates a number of important components symbolising the goals and aspirations of the Palestinian people within the occupied territories of the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, as well as those who have been displaced and are refugees in other countries.

According to the Tartan Register, the Spirit of Palestine cloth highlights the Palestinian struggle, with all proceeds from sales going to charity. The design uses colours from the flag: white for peace and love; green symbolising the green plains of the land of Palestine; red for martyrdom; and black in mourning for injustice and persecution.

Additionally, the colours blue and purple are intended to represent security and compassion and gold has been added to symbolise the Dome of the Rock and Jerusalem. Key dates are also incorporated into the design through thread counts drawn from 1948, the year of the Nakba (Catastrophe), and the 1967 war. Elements taken from the keffiyeh include the white cross threads for fishing nets and the green threads for olive leaves representing strength. Finally, the thick black lines are intended to represent the trade routes going through Palestine, and the rich history of merchants, travel and cultural exchange.

It all sounds harmless enough, but it apparently incensed Stanley Grossman so much that he took issue over the tartan back in May 2022. After the honorary secretary of Scottish Friends of Israel brought it to the attention of UK Lawyers for Israel, they fired off a letter to the Scottish Register of Tartans stating pompously, “Tartans are not allowed to be political.”

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In an audacious press release, Palestinians were accused of “cultural appropriation” by a Zionist group which appears to give unconditional support to the land-grabbing, rogue, apartheid state.

“The Guidance states that Tartan names cannot be used as a means of promoting political statements or to represent political campaigns or ideology. However, the name, ‘The Spirit of Palestine’, appears to promote a political campaign on behalf of Palestinians,” said UKLFI. “When a tartan is registered, the owner has to submit a description of the rationale behind the tartan, including why the tartan was created, the reason for the name and the reason for the choice of colours. The guidance says that the wording included in the rationale should not include any political statements or be used as a means to promote any political campaigns or ideologies.”

The lobby group went on to say that the description of the “Spirit of Palestine” tartan is full of political statements promoting the Palestinian ideology. “It says that the tartan represents the ‘Palestinian Struggle’ and explains that red is included symbolising ‘martyrdom’ as well as black ‘to represent mourning for injustice and persecution’. Martyrs are a reference to terrorists who have been killed in the course of terrorism.”

That last sentence, of course, is typical of Zionists, for whom every Palestinian who exercises his or her legitimate right to resist Israel’s brutal military occupation of their land is a “terrorist”.

There are many living in Scotland today whose ancestors took up arms for independence politically and militarily, who would strongly disagree with that “terrorist” allegation, especially after the government in London banned tartan in Scotland in 1746 as part of the Dress Act to suppress the Jacobite rebellion.

Tartan was synonymous with the clan system in the Scottish Highlands and, by banning its use for 26 years with severe penalties for anyone wearing it, the English occupiers hoped to crush the spirit of the rebellious Scots.

The ban was lifted in 1782 and, ironically, in the 19th century the patronage of Queen Victoria carried through to today’s Royal Family has ensured that tartan is accepted as a perfectly acceptable mode of dress. Tartan is now probably the most recognisable symbol of Scottish culture. It has its roots in medieval times, and is as important to Scotland as are the many styles of Palestinian embroidery, Tatreez, important to Palestine. Both are cultural traditions that tell stories of identity, history and place.

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Tatreez is a social practice that’s passed down through generations and despite attempts by Israel and its supporters to erase any signs of Palestinian culture, the women of Palestine use their embroidery as a form of resistance. Each stitch has a meaning and tells a story.

Try as it might, Israel cannot ban Palestinian culture and history.

This living Palestinian tradition has evolved constantly to suit the social and cultural landscapes of the day. To protect the future of Tatreez, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in Paris recognised its artistry, practices, skills, knowledge and rituals, and added it to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Palestinian women have come together to produce the Palestinian History Tapestry which aims to show the history of the country from Neolithic times to the present day. It’s very much in the style of the 11th century Bayeux Tapestry celebrating the Norman conquest of Britain in 1066.

Not to be outdone, the Scots unveiled their own Great Tapestry of Scotland in Galashiels in July 2023, during a visit to the Scottish Borders by King Charles and Queen Camilla. It shows how the small nation has developed over the centuries in 160 hand-stitched panels. The infamous Highland Clearances are also depicted by the tapestry, revealing a black period of evictions and forced migration across the Scottish Highlands and islands at the hands of the English.

Could the Clearances have been a source of inspiration for US President Donald Trump? He certainly tried to stitch up Gaza recently with his insane “Riviera” proposal for the Palestinian enclave.

The expulsion of the Scots took place from 1750 to 1860 and changed the way of life and landscape in the Highlands forever. They were the victims of the British government’s unjust policies as, indeed, the Palestinians have been. Little wonder, then, that the Scots are strong supporters of the Palestinian cause; they’re cut from the same cloth.

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The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.