A Nativity scene displayed at the Vatican that depicted the infant Jesus resting upon a Palestinian keffiyeh has now been removed after causing significant controversy.
When the scene was unveiled on 7 December in the Vatican’s Paul VI audience hall, the placing of the infant Jesus upon a piece of cloth that serves as the traditional Palestinian head dress lead many to interpret the gesture as a political statement on the part of the Holy See. The black-and-white chequered keffiyeh is widely seen as a pro-Palestinian symbol.
