November 08, 2010
I remember writing back to say that my point was about individuals” rights to keep their land. I knew people with the keys and deeds to houses across the border in Israel, and those houses had been demolished and the land on which they stood confiscated and awarded to others. It seemed to me to be an open-and-shut case for any libertarian. I cannot recall his response.
American libertarians have a moral blind spot about the Palestinians, perhaps because of a sentimental attachment to Israel (right or wrong). Yet the principle that an individual’s property cannot simply be taken away to give to other people should, if it is a principle at all, be universal. Dr. Hospers, who I am happy to say is still alive and active in public debate, wrote in 1976:
The social and political implications of libertarianism rest on the principles of individual self ownership (of peaceful adults) and private property rights.
Violence or “coercion” is defined in this context as an act by a human or humans against the will or without the permission of another human being with respect to that which is his own (his own person or property)….Simply put, if someone does something to the body or property of someone else without their permission or against their will, that is what libertarians mean by coercion, physical force, or violence.
The Palestinians whose lands were taken after the 1948 exodus suffered that form of violence and coercion, as do those whose property has been stolen in the West Bank since 1967. Perhaps if their names were different, say Big Endians and Little Endians rather than Israelis and Palestinians, libertarians and other Americans would look at this issue more clearly.
Haaretz‘s investigative reporters have no problem understanding what is going on, even when the real names are used:
The inquiry shows the ILA’s [Israel Land Authority’s] list does not include dozens of properties, perhaps because they were handed over to other related organizations or subsidiaries, some of which are registered abroad. Some of them may be tax shelters.
Corruption abounds when you give away others” property. The lies that concealed the original transaction’s truly coercive nature come into play when parceling out the spoils. Is this what libertarians, and Americans, stand for?
