This piece was originally published in the November 2024 issue of Pandora Curated.
400 days into a brutal genocide of the Palestinian people, with testimonials of the survivors in Gaza growing more horrifying every day, Israel’s plans for Palestine and its people appear to center on a strategy of long-term erasure and displacement. The deliberate erasure of a Palestinian culinary identity is yet another step in Israel’s deconstruction of Palestine and the idea of Palestinian identity—we’ve already witnessed the denial of Palestinian political identity and self-rule.
The Israeli regime is systematically dismantling one of the longest holdouts of Palestinian cultural identity—their ties to their food. Palestinian culinary heritage today stands on the precipice of a near-total violent appropriation into a fabricated “Israeli culinary culture,” where traditional picking of thyme is criminalized and yet the many dishes it is used in—from shawarmas to hummus—are being rebranded as Israeli.
The roots of Palestinian cuisine can be traced back centuries to ancient civilisations like the Canaanites and the Philistines, direct ancestors of modern-day Palestinians, whose trade patterns shaped elements of Palestinian cuisine like wheat, barley, olives and dates. Popular dishes like hummus and baklava were introduced to the local repertoire during the Ottoman regime and have rapidly evolved into the everyday spread of a Palestinian household.
Modern Palestinian cuisine serves as a daily narrative of the region’s rich cultural influences. Amid threats of erasure, Palestinians across the diaspora are passionately striving to preserve their culinary heritage, safeguarding it as a vital expression of their identity and history.
Dating back to the genesis of Israeli settlements in Palestine, narratives that rebrand Palestinian dishes as "Israeli" have often subsumed Palestinian heritage and the symbolic meaning within their cuisine. From hummus to falafel, the active rebranding of Palestinian cuisine as “Israeli” or as “Middle Eastern” is key to Israel’s colonial interest in creating a top-down surface level culture. By featuring a cuisine that is atypical to Western cuisine, Israel legitimises its claims of a rich regional and ethnic culture by erasing and appropriating Palestinian culinary culture.
But beyond culinary appropriation, Israeli settlers and the Israeli government actively criminalize, destroy and impede the cultivation and harvesting of Palestinian traditional crops—starving the Palestinian people and crippling their economy.
Under regulations citing environmental concerns, the Israeli government criminalized the harvesting of wild za’atar and declared it a protected plant in Israel in 1977. A native herb crucial in Palestinian dishes, the legislation has affected generations of foragers and families who depend on it both economically and culturally.
Scholars and activists argue that this form of “green colonialism,” using environmental narratives to enforce control, undermines the Palestinian ability to sustain themselves, and asserts territorial dominance—both crucial to the enactment of settler colonialism. Plants that are native to the land are declared as harmful for their presence and farming, overriding years of tradition and ironically disrupting ecosystems, all to exercise authority and control.
Recently circulated videos depicting the harvesting of olives across Palestinian territories are proof of active defiance of the violence and dehumanization that dictates Palestinian lives. According to The Yale Review of International Studies, olive trees contributed to 14% of Palestine's economy, and their cultivation sustained nearly 800,000 families. Amid an invasion where 75% of the olive trees have been destroyed, harvesting, and refusal to abandon their homes and livelihoods when their lives are at risk, is a testament to the resilience of the Palestinian community.
Before the invasion, the destruction of the trees occurred mostly during the harvest season, often through burning and land restrictions. This loss has dire environmental consequences, as olive trees act as carbon sinks and prevent soil erosion. Deterioration has only increased since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza, since October 7th, 2023. Reports from various environmental platforms suggest that olive production is said to be a “fraction” of the usual 35,000–40,000 tonnes accumulated during the harvest period.
Palestinians also face additional challenges, like restricted access to water and limited permits, making farming difficult. Since the beginning of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, the few organizations permitted to enter Palestinian territory have been attempting to restore lost olive groves. However, the long growth period means lost trees won’t yield for decades, threatening the continuity of agricultural traditions. The ongoing destruction also serves as a method of economic and social control, further dispossessing Palestinian communities.
The Jaffa orange, for instance, requires delicate farming, just the right amount of water, and quick journeys from harvesting to one’s table. Increasing Israeli blockades, inspections and arbitrary checks, have resulted in the loss of the widely savored fruits, as crates of oranges lie neglected in the sun, rotting in the heat—specifically around Khan Younis, the hub of Palestinian citrus. The fruit that once thrived on the open passage monitored by Egypt now creates waste—of food, labor and the limited earnings Palestinian farmers can accumulate.
Across Northern Gaza, on the other hand, strawberry harvest has seen a rapid decline. Once constituting 32% of Gaza’s exports, Israeli bulldozing and on-ground military operations have significantly erased strawberry fields across Beit Lahiya. Strawberry plantations that would previously hire thousands of people to perform the seeding and planting of the strawberries in September and then harvest them later in the winter, now remain abandoned under the watchful eye of the Israeli military.
While farmers continue to find ways to repurpose old food containers and/or destroyed buildings to curate makeshift gardens, strawberry harvest and quality have significantly tarnished what was once known as “red gold” among the locals. Continuing to lead their lives in resistance to Israel’s war against the Palestinian identity, the people insist on upholding their cultural practices, values, and duties, safeguarding their land and its agriculture.
Palestinian agriculture and cuisine are a powerful symbol and tool of revolution and resistance to the Palestinian liberation movement. Chefs like Reem Assil and groups like ‘Hospitality for Humanity’ use food to challenge cultural erasure and Israeli appropriation of Palestinian dishes, fighting for the home they have been expelled from, that they are barred from returning to.
Various food bloggers and social media content creators are also taking to their platforms to share local Palestinian businesses, share Gazan recipes, and shed more light on the discussion around the need to preserve Palestine’s food identity.
For instance, Renad Attalah, a 10-year-old girl currently in Gaza, has become a significant social media figure sharing numerous Palestinian recipes from the midst of a refugee camp. Eyad Hani Salman and Hanan Saeed are a few among a sea of content creators sharing insights into authentic Palestinian food, in an attempt to preserve their culinary heritage.
Internationally, the boycott of Israeli goods, particularly food products, has gained traction as a form of protest against the occupation and genocide. This movement is closely tied to the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign, which targets companies operating on occupied land or supporting Israel’s policies. The events, such as hummus or za’atar-making workshops, combine culinary traditions with activism, linking food to the larger fight for Palestinian rights and sovereignty.
Palestinians continue to fight for their heritage, employing agriculture and food as powerful symbols of their connection to the land and their right to self-determination. From social media initiatives to global solidarity movements like BDS, the preservation of Palestinian food culture has become a rallying cry for justice and liberation. By safeguarding their culinary traditions, Palestinians reaffirm their identity and resistance—they are unshaken from their roots, even in the face of systematic violence and displacement.
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Written by Veda Rodewald and Ananya Karthikeyan
Edited by the Curated Editorial Team
Illustrations by Mrittika Mitra
Veda Rodewald is the Director of News at Political Pandora. She is a student of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Ananya (she/her) is a student of International Relations and the Associate Editor of Operations at Political Pandora. Her research interests lie in intersectionality and equity, particularly in regard to digital technology, caste/class and justice.
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Keywords:
Palestinian Cuisine Heritage, Israeli Appropriation Of Palestinian Food, Palestinian Culinary Identity, Gaza Food Culture Preservation, Za’atar Criminalization, Olive Tree Destruction In Palestine, Palestinian Agricultural Resistance, Cultural Erasure In Palestine, Palestinian Food Bloggers, Boycott Israeli Food Products, Palestinian Food Activism, BDS Campaign Food Protest, Gaza Strawberry Production Decline, Jaffa Orange Blockade Impact, Palestinian Culinary Liberation Movement
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