According to the L.A. Times, Lebanon is planning to sue the nation of Israel in international court because, in their estimation, falafel and hummus are Lebanese foods and Israel stole them.

Or, as the chairman of the Association of Lebanese Industrialists puts it: “In a way the Jewish state is trying to claim ownership of traditional Lebanese delicacies such as falafel, tabbouleh and hummus [costing Lebanese] tens of millions of dollars annually. … The Israelis are marketing our main food dishes as if they were Israeli dishes.”

They base their claim on an actual precedent: a case brought — and won — by the nation of Greece about the origin of Feta cheese. One can only assume that this is a move brought on to launch some sort of Lebanese tourism and marketing campaign, but I can’t imagine what sort of campaign that could be. Or why it would be a more effective marketing tool than, say, not preemptively launching missiles at neighboring countries.

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