Eretz Israel is our unforgettable historic homeland...The Jews who will it shall achieve their State...And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind. (Theodor Herzl, DerJudenstaat, 1896)

We offer peace and amity to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is ready to contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and development of the Middle East.
(From Proclamation of the State of Israel, 5 Iyar 5708; 14 May 1948)

With a liberal democratic political system operating under the rule of law, a flourishing market economy producing technological innovation to the benefit of the wider world, and a population as educated and cultured as anywhere in Europe or North America, Israel is a normal Western country with a right to be treated as such in the community of nations.... For the global jihad, Israel may be the first objective. But it will not be the last. (Friends of Israel Initiative)

Monday 20 April 2015

An Enemy's Anemone

A little bit of silliness to brighten Monday morning.

The English national flower is the rose, right?  The rose, however, is not confined to the British Isles alone.  There are species of roses native to Europe, but also to North America and to Asia, including Japan.

Needless to say, however, nobody accuses the English of "stealing" the rose for their emblem.

The Scottish national flower is the thistle, yet the thistle is not confined to Scotland alone.  Its native habitat stretches from Portugal to Scandinavia to Kazakhstan. 

Needless to say, however, nobody accuses Scotland of "stealing" the thistle, just as no one accuses France of stealing the lily ("fleur de lis"), and so on.

I think you have guessed what's coming...

The much-loved pretty little red "crown anemone" (anemone coronaria), known in Hebrew as calanit metzouva, from the word for "bride", grows wild throughout the immediate region, and figures in local legends.

In the image above it's seen on an Israeli poster dating to 1949.

In 2013, following a poll, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel declared it their country's national flower.

Needless to say, just as Israel has been accused to stealing a "Palestinian" bird, so it's been accused of stealing a "Palestinian" flower.

In this potty example of the charge, the accusation is that the anemone coronaria has been declared a "Jewish flower":


Gives a whole new meaning to "flower power", doesn't it?

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