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Last update - 09:47 10/10/2008
Lebanese union to sue Israel for 'claiming ownership' of falafel
By DPA
Tags: Lebanon, israel news, food 

A new war between Israel and Lebanon has erupted, but this time the war is not geopolitical, but rather an issue of cuisine-who has sovereignty over traditional Arab dishes and sandwiches.

The president of the Lebanese Industrialists Association Fadi Abboud, said he is preparing to file an international lawsuit against Israel for allegedly "taking the identity of some Lebanese foods" and thus violating a food copyright.

"In a way the Jewish state is trying to claim ownership of traditional Lebanese delicacies like falafel, tabouleh and hummus" Abboud said.
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According to Abboud, the Lebanese are losing "tens of millions of dollars annually" because Israel is selling and marketing traditional Lebanese dishes.

"The Israelis are marketing our main food dishes as if they were Israeli dishes," he charged.

"We are working on registering all the foods and ingredients which will be submitted to the Lebanese government so it can appeal to the international courts against Israel," Abboud said.

"The Israelis are marketing such Lebanese delicacies under the same names and ingredients around the world," he added. "This is harming and causing great losses to Lebanon."

Abboud said he prepared his memo on the subject, based on the case of the Greek "feta cheese precedent" that occurred six years ago.

At the time, Greece managed to prove in international institutions that it was the "originator" of feta cheese and won the case.

According to Abboud, while Lebanon never registered the names and ingredients of its own delicacies, "it can refer to the Greece precedent since these foods are historically known as traditional Lebanese foods.

"By doing so, we are preventing Israel from stealing our main food trademarks and selling them around the world," Abboud added
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  1.   Sue Islam for using biblical stories (and the Temple Mount) 20:47  |  Phil 06/10/08
  2.   Palestinians claim falafel too 20:53  |  azazel 06/10/08
  3.   very cool idea 21:34  |  Dr Noam 06/10/08
  4.   The Jews invented the Falafel 21:41  |  Avi 06/10/08
  5.   Copyright? 21:43  |  Brad 06/10/08
  6.   what is israeli food? 21:52  |  yezmar 06/10/08
  7.   Problem With His Claims 22:01  |  Eitan P. Sommer 06/10/08
  8.   Lebanese union should do like the French and adopt an `A.O.C`. 22:02  |  JustMe 06/10/08
  9.   ridiculous 01:05  |  observer 07/10/08
  10.   I feel awful about their falafel! 01:14  |  william 07/10/08
  11.   How about a cook-off? 01:19  |  Aphemia 07/10/08
  12.   Jews should sue for right to everything Islam stole 01:41  |  Jimmy 07/10/08
  13.   Third Lebanon War 01:49  |  antoine 07/10/08
  14.   I`m Sure Nasrallah Will Salivate At The Opportunity To Make This 01:53  |  Lavi 07/10/08
  15.   Let them all sue 01:57  |  Arie 07/10/08
  16.   Sue them on Theory of Relativity - to solve the nuke problem 02:15  |  Mike 07/10/08
  17.   #2 Azazel-Palestinians make the best Falafels 02:16  |  Steve 07/10/08
  18.   Patent chicken soup immediately 02:43  |  Believeitornot 07/10/08
  19.   Do the Lebanese make gefilte fish? 02:57  |  Murray of Montreal 07/10/08
  20.   Time for China to sue Italy over pasta! 03:02  |  Itzik 07/10/08
  21.   Hummus and Pita mentioned in the Torah! 03:10  |  HS 07/10/08
  22.   falafel 03:20  |  robert nebb 07/10/08
  23.   The first batch of Hummus! 03:31  |  Ben 07/10/08
  24.   Falafel is originally a Bedouin dish period! 03:37  |  Sheikh Massoud 07/10/08
  25.   Food 04:34  |  Sonia 07/10/08
  26.   Do you guys have any idea 04:06  |  Ofir 07/10/08
  27.   Lawyers Full Employment Act 05:18  |  Mike 07/10/08
  28.   Sonia 06:16  |  Connie 07/10/08
  29.   # 23 since the olive tree outdates the existence of 06:29  |  Kris Lazar 07/10/08
  30.   # 26 would you please be so kind as to name a few? 06:34  |  Kris Lazar 07/10/08
  31.   connie 06:48  |  Kevin 07/10/08
  32.   They definitelyhave a copyright on ball-bearing Katyushas 06:51  |  Dan 07/10/08
  33.   They should patent their monopoly on stupidity 06:53  |  Dan 07/10/08
  34.   the prooffff 06:54  |  kEVIN MoOre 07/10/08
  35.   Our falafel has more parsely and therfore unique 06:54  |  Dan 07/10/08
  36.   What about chicken soup? Jewish to the soul 06:55  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 07/10/08
  37.   #30 mayas invented the zero 07:22  |  x 07/10/08
  38.   Food Fight 07:56  |  Brendan 07/10/08
  39.   Margie #36 07:59  |  Esther 07/10/08
  40.   Criminal culinary preferences... 08:03  |  Esther 07/10/08
  41.   #William. There is only one Felafel - Lebanese! 08:05  |  Maureen Ann 07/10/08
  42.   Lebanon and the falafel ball 08:29  |  Connie 07/10/08
  43.   Falafel is Egyptian too. Stupidity 08:33  |  Semsem 07/10/08
  44.   Well another good reason for continuing jihad 08:53  |  Daniela 07/10/08
  45.   #4 The jews invented falafel 09:47  |  Daz 07/10/08
  46.   Rockets 09:50  |  Joe 07/10/08
  47.   Lebanese union to sue Israel for `claiming ownership` of falafel 09:51  |  Nathan Szajnberg 07/10/08
  48.   marco polo.... 09:54  |  giggggggi 07/10/08
  49.   How abt a cook-ing competetion? 09:57  |  Sarah M. 07/10/08
  50.   Its Mediteranean! 10:00  |  Zev Davis 07/10/08
  51.   #6 10:09  |  ed 07/10/08
  52.   A NATION OF THIEVES 10:13  |  indrajaya 07/10/08
  53.   Daylight robbery 10:18  |  Abu Firas Al Qudsi 07/10/08
  54.   Yezmar, I pit my grandmother`s gefilte fish . . . 10:19  |  Zev Davis 07/10/08
  55.   Is this a joke ? 10:24  |  Serge 07/10/08
  56.   Aussie Meat Pies 10:26  |  Tania 07/10/08
  57.   Arie (#15) Who made the first French Fry well Belgium 10:40  |  Gil 07/10/08
  58.   Lebanon didn`t exist 100 years ago 10:43  |  Ilan 07/10/08
  59.   #53 THANK U 10:43  |  hariri lebanon 07/10/08
  60.   food fight 10:47  |  soggy liberal 07/10/08
  61.   Total silliness. Here`s how food "ownership" is protected... 10:47  |  Dr. L. Brnd 07/10/08
  62.   sushi and Shabbat 10:52  |  soggy liberal 07/10/08
  63.   Kevin 31 11:19  |  ChanahS 07/10/08
  64.   Falafel 11:22  |  Al Misri 07/10/08
  65.   Esther 11:24  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 07/10/08
  66.   INDRAJAYA"A nation of thieves" Ask Timorese&Papuans who that is 11:31  |  PETER SM 07/10/08
  67.   FIRAS are Arabs going to stop making ice cream? 11:38  |  PETER SM 07/10/08
  68.   Ha`Aretz Talkbackers to sue Clickfool, indrajaya & others 11:40  |  Ari ben Yisrael 07/10/08
  69.   more stupidity by the lebanese !! 11:43  |  victor hardman 07/10/08
  70.   HARIRI So why are you writing here instead of honest Arab media 11:54  |  PETER SM 07/10/08
  71.   Lebanese food. 12:12  |  David Nigel Braham