Israeli Restaurant in Berlin Sparks Outrage Over Anti-Palestinian Promotional Poster
Berlin (Quds News Network)- An Israeli restaurant in Berlin has sparked outrage over an anti-Palestinian promotional poster depicting watermelons with children’s faces being turned into smoothies by an Israeli lion.
The poster from the Israeli restaurant Feinberg’s depicts watermelons with clearly recognizable human faces—representing Palestinian children—being turned into smoothies by a lion wrapped in an Israeli flag.
At an event hosted by the German-Israeli Association in Berlin—attended by the Israeli ambassador and leading German politicians from across the political spectrum, the Israeli restaurant served watermelon smoothies along with the caption: “Israeli-style watermelon: chopped, mashed, and crushed.”
Over several decades, the watermelon has become a powerful symbol of Palestinian identity and resistance against Israeli occupation.
Beim #IsraelTagBerlin der @DIG_BB (Bundespräsident Volker Beck) mit #Israel|s Botschafter Ron Prosor gab es zur Erfrischung:
WATERMELON MEETS ZION
Israeli Style 🍉 gehäckselt, püriert, zerhackstückelt auf Eis 0,3L, wahlweise mit Vodka Shot (5€/7,50€) pic.twitter.com/rZHgKB8Fnw— Jakob Reimann (@Jakob_Reimann) April 26, 2025
The poster has drawn strong criticism on social media from pro-Palestinian activists.
Ramy Abdu, chairman of Euro-Med Monitor, said “the true depths of normalization with Israeli propaganda were on full display.”
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A glimpse into the alarming level of fascism Germany has reached in its stance toward Gaza and the Palestinians:
At an event hosted by the German-Israeli Association in Berlin—attended by the Israeli ambassador and leading German politicians from across the political… pic.twitter.com/VK5isQabVQ
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) April 27, 2025
Auf einem Fest der Lobbygruppe „Deutsch-Israelische Gesellschaft“ (DIG), anlässlich des „Israeltags“ an dem auch Israels Botschafter Ron Prosor teilnahm, wurden Wassermelonen, ein Symbol Palästinas, als lächelnde Kinder dargestellt, die von einem Comic-Löwen mit Israel-Schürze,…
— Tarek Baé (@Tarek_Bae) April 26, 2025
„Watermelon meets Zion – gehäckselt, püriert und zerhackstückelt.“ Fröhliche Melonengesichter als Menü für die Deutsch-Israelische Gesellschaft. Geliefert von Feinberg Catering, Berlin. Geschmackloser geht’s nicht. Wer das feiert, hat jede Spur von Menschlichkeit verloren. pic.twitter.com/9khaJr2lDU
— Iman (@imanaeq) April 26, 2025
Later, the restaurant admitted using the watermelon to symbolize Palestinians.
“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 said in a post on its Facebook account.
“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 have no intention to “suggest harm toward Palestinians.”
Update: Das Restaurant Feinbergs gibt die gezielte Symbolik zu. Die Wassermelone stehe für „eine weltweite, durch Antisemitismus und Judenhass geprägte Bewegung“. Das Restaurant behauptet, zu keinem Zeitpunkt die Vernichtung von Palästinensern gemeint zu haben. Warum die… pic.twitter.com/Ofy3UDBwrr
— Tarek Baé (@Tarek_Bae) April 26, 2025
Many have criticised Germany for its pro-Israel stance and repressive measures that include censorship, arrests of activists, police raids, banning the keffiyeh in schools, and crackdown on pro-Palestine protests, citing its historical guilt.
