Israel has made the Palestinian viper, as it is called in Hebrew “serpent of the land of Israel” or “common viper”, his snake national. The reptile has been named after an online vote organized by the authority of the parks and nature. The long snake to the bite fatal was ahead of the Demansia vestigiata who was leaving, however, the opinion of experts favorite. In a previous consultation, the heron was designated the national bird, and, last year, an obscure scorpion local had won a competition among arachnids. This game certainly did not escape the vigilance of the palestinian neighbors, who see it as a maneuver to take ownership of its wildlife. The palestinian Authority has decided to step up and give it an international dimension to the case.
She will file a complaint before the 14th United Nations Conference on biodiversity, which kicks off this Saturday in Sharm el-Sheikh,Egypt, on the grounds that the jewish State captured a “symbol of diversity palestinian”. One of the arguments advanced by the Palestinians is that the snake of Palestine has been scientifically classified under the latin name of Daboia palaestinae by the famous zoologist and explorer austrian Franz Werner under the british mandate in 1938, ten years with the creation of Israel.
the olive tree and the falafel
“Many countries often share certain species of animals or birds, such as the German Shepherd which is very widespread in most of the countries of the world, although it has been discovered for the first time in Germany. It has however kept the same name,” said Imad al-Atrash, executive director of the Palestine Wildlife Society, the website Al-Monitor. “The fact that Israel is changing the name of the Palestinian viper is very disrespectful. This is not the first time that Israel steals a national symbol of the palestinian, which expresses the biodiversity and the palestinian heritage. In the past, Israel has claimed the olive tree as the tree, and the falafel like his dish” she said Adalah al-Atira, the head of the office of the environment in palestine. She called on the scientific forums and international environmental to boycott the name israel assigned to the bug.
We found nests of Daboia palaestinae in the west bank, but also in Israel and in several countries of the Near East. The reptile measures a good metre in average, has three teeth and has dark spots on its shiny skin. It is the source of the overwhelming majority of bites are venomous in the region, and spits his venom indiscriminately on Israelis and Palestinians. Each year, some 300 people are cared for in an emergency. Deaths are rare because of the existence of a contrepoison but the cost of the serum is high. Developed in Israel, it costs more than 1, 300 euros a dose.
