Orange clothes languish as some Israelis try to avoid political dress

Published: 2005-07-26

JERUSALEM (CNS) -- The orange cotton and Lycra tops of the Palestinian fashion label Nota Bene are languishing on store shelves this summer. "We couldn't sell any of our collection in that color," said Hani Murad, director of the church-sponsored Fashion and Textile Institute, Latin Patriarchate, which designs and manufactures the Nota Bene line. "Orange is an important fashion color this year, but we can't sell anything." Israeli fashion houses and chain stores are reporting a similar phenomenon with their orange-colored merchandise. In Israel, orange has been adopted as a symbol by people who oppose their country's disengagement from Palestinian territories, and the color now is unequivocally associated with that political stance. Opponents of Israel's unilateral withdrawal of Jewish settlers from sections of the Gaza Strip and West Bank sport orange ribbons from car antennas and purses. They wear bright orange T-shirts, baseball caps, scarves and rubber anklets in a war of colors, facing off against the blue ribbons fluttering from the cars of withdrawal supporters.

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