The Lebanese Industrialists Association (LIA) is preparing a lawsuit against Israel for marketing and selling what it calls traditional Lebanese cuisine.
The modern nation of Lebanon has only existed since 1941, but that is not stopping LIA President Fadi Abboud from claiming that it owns the rights to felafel, hummus, tabouleh and other regional favorites.
Speaking to German news service DPA, Abboud claimed that Lebanon is losing tens of millions of dollars a year as a result of Israel marketing and selling these foods internationally.
According to Abboud, this is a violation of "food copyright."
Abboud is in the process of registering the various dishes and their ingredients with the Lebanese government so that he can then appeal to international courts against Israel's alleged copyright violation.