Foragers

za'atar is the Arabic term for thyme, ’akkoub is the name of an artichoke-like thistle. Both plants grow in the hills of the Golan Heights and Galilee and are part of the traditional cuisine of the region. And both plants are at the root of a conflict between Palestinian residents and the authorities since the gathering of the wild herbs was banned. The Israeli side invokes nature conservation, the inhabitants see the ban on collecting as a further encroachment on their traditional way of life, a further alienation of the people from their land.… >>>