"In the wake of each flare-up in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, people inevitably argue over the same question: 'Who owns the territory that currently comprises Israel: the Arab Palestinians, or the Jews?' Then long debates ensue about the history of the two different groups in the region, who was there first, which group was the aggressor, which group has rightful title, etc.
"But the Objectivist answer to the question of which ethnic group has the right to the land is: Neither. Land cannot belong to ethnic groups, social classes, or other categories of people, in any sense...."
Thursday, 13 May 2021
Q: Who owns the territory that currently comprises Israel?
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2 comments:
Quite correct. It belongs to neither government, but can only be under the jurisdiction of one. It should be under the jurisdiction of whichever government is better at recognizing and protecting property rights - wherever they lie. In this case surely Israel.
Now Israel should consider any historical claims to property dating back to prior to their occupation of the territory (to the extent that's possible). If they don't do this entirely consistently, it still comes down to who is the most and who is least consistent. It's hard to believe the other side, who allow Hamas to roam and randomly fire rockets would be better.
This sort of thing illustrates the problems caused by top-down government action. The Allies gave Israel to the Jews. I can sympathize with their reasoning; quite obviously Europe wasn't a welcoming place, and they believe they have a claim to Israel. Still, the Allies didn't consider the people already living there, violating their rights to property wholesale. This has directly resulted in today's violence.
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