When the state of Israel was established in 1948, a severe conflict raised immediately concerning the consumption of wild plants. On the one hand, the decision makers of the new state, mostly Ashkenazi Jews, or with Western-European mentality. This society made very little use of wild plants, both as food and for medicinal purposes. This society demanded total halt of the use of wild plants, and legislations were made to assure that this prohibition was enforced. On the contrary, the local Arab (Palestinian) society made extensive use of many wild plants, mainly for nutrition purposes, but very extensive use for medicinal treatments.

This situation resulted in great tension between the two societies. The Arab society risked the collection of these plants, and when got caught by the Israeli authorities, Arabs had to suffer different punishments and fines.

But the situation can not be summarized as we described above. The prohibition of wild plants use gave its positive results in the next few decades. In some areas, the overuse of wild plants resulted almost extinction, for example, Gundelia tournifortii (عكّوب, עכובית הגלגל), a very nutritious and tasty plant (when cooked), was completely extinct in the Wadi Ara area. The plant survived complete extinction in the entire country since the Arab society in the Northern Negev region, did not eat it, because it is thorny, so “its camel food, not for humans”. But when people of the North realized that the started mass collection, mainly for export purposes, to Jordan, and from Jordan to the Gulf region.

So, the conflict reached a critical point, then the nature preservation authorities realized that some compromise must be made. With great efforts and almost endless discussions, we managed to find this compromise.

Use of wild plants is not only pure science. It is before and after all, human societies and traditions, and these must be respected to an extent of nature preservation and meeting traditional societies needs.