DayofPal– An Israeli restaurant in Berlin has come under fire after displaying a controversial promotional poster depicting Palestinian children as watermelons being crushed by an Israeli lion.
The poster, from the Israeli restaurant Feinberg’s, shows watermelons with clearly recognizable human faces representing Palestinian children being turned into smoothies by a lion wrapped in an Israeli flag.
The poster was displayed at an event hosted by the German-Israeli Association, attended by the Israeli ambassador and prominent German politicians from across the political spectrum.
During the event, the restaurant served watermelon smoothies with the caption: “Israeli-style watermelon: chopped, mashed, and crushed.”
Over the decades, the watermelon has evolved into a potent symbol of Palestinian identity and resistance against Israeli occupation, making the depiction especially provocative. The poster quickly drew widespread condemnation from pro-Palestinian activists on social media.
Ramy Abdu, chairman of Euro-Med Monitor, criticized the display, stating, “the true depths of normalization with Israeli propaganda were on full display.”
Following the backlash, Feinberg’s acknowledged that the watermelon was intended to symbolize Palestinians.
In a statement posted on its Facebook account, the restaurant said: “Today, the watermelon symbol is widely associated with a global movement marked by antisemitism and hatred toward Jews, a movement we ourselves regularly fall victim to.”
The restaurant added, “Our intention was to use this moment to take a humorous jab at that very symbol. In short: ‘Modern symbols of Jew-hatred belong in the blender,’” claiming they had no intention “to suggest harm toward Palestinians.”
The controversy comes amid broader criticism of Germany’s strong pro-Israel stance and its restrictive measures against pro-Palestinian activism.
These measures include censorship, arrests of activists, police raids, the banning of the keffiyeh in schools, and crackdowns on pro-Palestine protests, actions many attribute to Germany’s enduring historical guilt.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=62444
