"A Lebanese chef's vision: Make falafel, not war" by Anna Sussman

Submitted by Judith Rachmani (Israel), Aug 24, 2007 at 07:17

There are two noteworthy quotes in Anna Sussman's report about a market held every Saturday in a Beirut neighborhood, entitled "A Lebanese chef's vision: Make falafel, not war" (on Page Two of the August 17, 2007 edition of the International Herald Tribune). Even though no Israelis participate in this market, Ms. Sussmen refers to Israelis twice, as follows:

Ms. Sussman wrote that "Arabs and Israelies ... fight bitterly over who invented the falafel" and that "falafel ... is generally accepted as having originated in Egypt, although Israelis claim it as their national dish...".

Knowing my countrymen as I do, I fear that their fierce claim to the origin of falafel will lead to yet another outbreak of war and I thank Ms. Sussman for directing my attention to this important, volatile issue. I will now pray that a compromise between the peoples of Israel and Lebanon will be negotiated before violence once again erupts in our area of the Middle East.

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