A New York City weather channel showing a woman wearing a headscarf associated with the pro-Palestinian movement has sparked outrage on both sides of the debate.
The ad, which promotes The Weather Channel app, was seen inside a subway station and shows a smiling woman wearing what appears to be a keffiyeh, which is a traditional headdress in some parts of the Middle East.
The image sparked anger online after the grassroots watchdog organization Stop Antisemitism took to X on Wednesday to ask why the network was featuring the scarf, calling it “a symbol now associated with violence against Jews” following the attacks. on October 7.
Social media users were quick to criticize The Weather Channel for its choice of images.
A Weather Channel advertisement found in a New York City subway station sparked outrage on both sides of the Israel-Palestine debate.
The keffiyeh is a traditional headdress in some parts of the Middle East.
‘Absolutely unacceptable. Do better, Weather Channel,” wrote one on X.
‘Disgusting. Imagine if the person in the ad was wearing a swastika,” another added.
“I’m deleting my @weatherchannel app right now,” wrote another.
The Weather Channel issued an apology a day after Stop Antisemitism was published.
“We deeply apologize to anyone we may have offended by inadvertently selecting an image in our recent advertising campaign,” the network said in a statement. reply to the position.
The Weather Channel apologized for the ad and said it does not “support or tolerate any form of anti-Semitism.” The ad has since been removed.
‘We certainly do not support or condone any form of anti-Semitism. “We immediately withdrew the advertisement upon acknowledging our mistake.”
The network’s response sparked those on the other side of the debate, with some pointing out that the keffiyeh has been worn throughout the Middle East for years.
‘Wait… so Keffiyehs are now considered anti-Semitic?’ wrote a user
“If you say wearing a scarf is a ‘hate campaign,’ you’re stupider than I thought,” another added.
Israel supporters were outraged by the ad, calling it “disgusting,” while Palestine supporters were angry that the network had to “apologize” for a scarf that has been worn for “decades.”
‘Why are (you) apologizing for a scarf that (people) have been wearing for decades?’ a third wrote.
Before the war broke out, keffiyehs were largely traditional Arab headdresses worn in the region, including by Jews, according to the National Library of Israel.
Since October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked attendees at the Nova music festival, the headscarf has been associated with the Palestinian movement.