[Pen-l] a new Middle East War

["Jim Devine" <jdevine03@xxxxxxxxx>]

[now, here's a _smart_ thread!]

Hummus war looms between Lebanon, Israel

BEIRUT (AP) — The latest conflict cooking between Lebanon and Israel
is all about food: Lebanese businessmen are accusing Israel of
stealing traditionally Middle Eastern dishes like hummus.

Fadi Abboud, president of the Lebanese Industrialists Association,
said Tuesday his group was planning to raise a lawsuit to stop Israel
from marketing hummus and other dishes as Israeli.

Hummus is a spread made from cooked and mashed chickpeas, usually
blended with sesame paste, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic.

Eaten in the Middle East for centuries, its exact origin is unknown,
though it's generally seen as an Arab dish. The Lebanese claim it as
their own and it's a central part of their cuisine — though
Palestinians also claim to have invented it.

It has also become enormously popular in Israel, common in everyday
meals and served in many Israeli restaurants. It has also become
popular internationally.

"It is not enough they (Israelis) are stealing our land. They are also
stealing our civilization and our cuisine," said Abboud.

Abboud said there have been numerous complaints by Lebanese
businessmen that Israel was exporting and marketing Lebanese dishes as
Israeli.

It's not clear where and before what court the Lebanese would file
such a suit — Lebanon and Israel are still in a state of war and any
contact with the Jewish state is punishable by a prison term here.

Israel's Food Industries Association and the Foreign Ministry both
declined comment.

Abboud says the lawsuit will be based on the precedent of Greek feta
cheese. In 2002, Greece won exclusive rights to use the name feta in
the European Union after a long court case with Denmark.

But that ruling — which specifies that any cheese called feta must be
made with Greek sheep and goats milk — is only valid for products sold
in the EU. There is no similar regional body with jurisdiction over
Lebanon and Israel.

Abboud told The Associated Press that his food industry group has
submitted an official request to the Ministry of Economy for a
registration process to brand hummus — a procedure that could take "up
to a year." He said the branding would open the door for any legal
action by the Lebanese government.

Abboud said his group wants a Lebanese branding for several dishes,
including hummus, the eggplant spread baba ghannouj and tabbouleh, a
salad made of chopped parsley and tomatoes.

"We cannot sue until we have registered the products. First Lebanon
must register the products so it becomes property right," Abboud said.

He predicted an uphill battle, particularly over hummus — which along
with Israel, Palestinians also claim as its own.

"Hummus might be debatable, in any case we will be happy if the
Palestinians win... But nobody can even discuss whether tabbouleh or
baba ghannouj are Lebanese," Abboud added.

"We don't have to win. The important thing is to try," he said of the
legal action.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
-- 
Jim Devine /  "Nobody told me there'd be days like these / Strange
days indeed -- most peculiar, mama." -- JL.
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