A Palestinian Coloring Book

Not so innocent

You may remember that back in February, Israel Police raided a leading Palestinian bookstore in East Jerusalem for literature that contained incitement. The single evidence that they cited as seizing was a children’s coloring book.

This was widely reported and lampooned. And it was probably a very silly and counterproductive thing for the police to do. But this was no ordinary children’s coloring book; I know, because I managed to get a copy from South Africa. (That’s where the book was published, as an expression of solidarity with Palestinians.)

The book, called From the River to the Sea: A Coloring Book, explains that Palestinians who die in their struggle against Israel are martyrs and heroes. It praises both Intifadas as part of the Palestinian fight for justice and freedom that children should learn from. This fight is, the book says, “a lesson for us all.”

Here’s a sample page, showing the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosque, surrounded by fruit trees, flowers and birds to color in. Also evil IDF soldiers sneaking around with guns, in black.

The book describes certain Palestinians as role models to emulate, presenting their pictures to be colored in. For example, here is a man with a flower over his head, and a bird perched charmingly on his shoulder. This is Ghassan Kanafani, and he is described as a “literary hero who never fired a gun” and who was assassinated by Israel “because they were afraid of his words”:

The Mossad did indeed assassinate Ghassan Kanafani, but it was not because they were afraid of his words. It was after he declared that his organization, The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, was responsible for the Lod Airport massacre a few days earlier, in which 26 civilians were killed and 80 injured.

But the book piqued my interest for a different reason. These lovely flowers and birds that appear throughout the book are not random species that are there for decorative purposes. They are anemone poppies and sunbirds, and they also appear on the cover of the book, along with a sabra cactus, an olive tree, a watermelon, Jaffa oranges, and zaatar herbs:

All these plants and birds are presented in the book as symbols of Palestinian cultural identity. And indeed, they play this role in numerous expressions of art, literature, and political discussion revolving around Palestinian identity. Here are just a few examples:

Such symbols took my interest when I was researching the animals and plants that form part of Jewish cultural heritage, and which demonstrate our connection to the Land of Israel. I felt that it was only fair to also explore the animals and plants that are presented as being part of Palestinian cultural heritage, and to see what they show about Palestinian culture and identity.

The results of my research were astounding and disturbing. Every single species fell into one of two categories. Either it was something that indeed possessed longstanding cultural significance - but for Levantine Arabs in general, not for Palestinians specifically. Or, it was something that was indeed of specific Palestinian cultural significance, but was very recent. And of the latter group, every single thing was only significant in terms of how it represents their conflict with Israel. It does not bode well for peace if every aspect of your cultural identity is about war.

Furthermore, the stories behind how some of these animals and plants symbolize the Palestinian struggle against Israel were complete fabrications! I just couldn’t believe it. Compelling stories about Zionist crimes against Palestinians involving animals and plants, repeated endlessly, which nobody ever bothers to research (sometimes because they lack the requisite knowledge of natural history), but which were entirely made up.

The second part of my new book, The Lions of Zion: Biblical Natural History and the Significance of Israel, discusses the fascinating and shocking truth behind all this. (The first part of the book describes the various ways in which animals and plants play a role in Torah and Jewish tradition, and how realizing that they are the animals and plants of the Land of Israel sheds light on many enigmas.) You can purchase the book online at the Biblical Museum of Natural History website, with shipping from Israel and from our US warehouse (which should start by next week), or collect it at the museum for a discount.

And if you’re in Israel, you may want to join the official launch event this coming Monday, in which I will be giving a presentation about the subject matter - complete with some plants and animals! Be sure to reserve tickets in advance, at www.BMNH.org.il/lions.