While there is surely no shortage of reasons for tension between Israelis and Palestinians, one has slithered to the fore of discontent only recently. And it’s not an issue of territory… but a local reptile.

The further poisoning of relations began last month, after an online poll selected the Palestinian Viper as Israel’s national snake. The claim to the serpent did not go down well with the Palestinians, who vowed to stand their ground in the matter and prove the viper’s ‘true’ identity.

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While it might go down as one of the stranger arguments in the hiss-tory of the Israel and Palestine conflict, it is just the latest in the ongoing heritage battle between both communities. Past rows have seen denouncements over Israel’s choice of national bird, the hoopoe, as well as battles over olive trees, and even the infamous hummus wars.

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