A Green Wood Hoopoe. Photo: wiki commons.

The British publication Morning Star recently published a quiz in which one of the questions concerned Israel’s national bird, the Hoopoe, and leaders of a British group called the “Manchester Palestine Solidarity Campaign” are not happy.

In a letter to the paper, George Abendstern, Chairman of the MPSC wrote:

I often wonder why so many of its readers find the Morning Star so exasperating. Despite its condemnation of zionists (sic) it yet finds space to include an item in its daily quiz about Israel’s national bird.

Is the Star not aware there’s a cultural boycott going on?And then, despite it’s (sic) condemnation of the Bahrain Grand Prix and rightly so, it then goes on to tell us who won. For goodness sake comrades, get your act together.”

Linda Clair, also of MPSC wrote into the Morning Star as well:

The Morning Star has always been the newspaper you could rely on to support the cause of the Palestinians, so why of all the birds in the world did you choose the Israeli national bird to include in your quiz?

Maybe you don’t support the methods chosen by the International Solidarity Movement of BDS to assist the Palestinians in their struggle for freedom and justice – a demand that came from them originally.

This includes any reference to their wildlife.

The Hoopoe became Israel’s national bird in 2008, following a national survey.