REJOINDER TO BIONIC MOSQUITO ON ISRAEL

Walter E. Block

Abstract


Mosquito (2018, 2023) is a rejoinder to Block, Futerman, and Farber (2016), as well as to Futerman, Farber, and Block (2016). The latter two essays heavily support Israel, and criticize Rothbard (1967) which, in turn, is highly critical of Israel. The present publication is an attempt to refute Mosquito’s two rejections of the case on behalf of Israel and thus supports the only Jewish state on the planet. The issue of contention in Mosquito’s first essay has mainly to do with private property rights and homesteading. The debate concerns how far back in history it is legitimate to go in the determination of which group of people are the rightful owners of land under dispute. This is crucially important since the very existence of Israel is at stake. If the views of Mosquito and Rothbard are correct, that pretty much spells the end of Israel, since the land it claims to rule over properly belongs to Arabs, Palestinians, and other enemies of this country. Mosquito’s second essay involves his rejection of Israel’s conduct in the present war in the Middle East. All parties to this debate are libertarians, who predicate this philosophy on Lockean (1948) homesteading theory. This makes it all the more remarkable that we come to such widely disparate conclusions as to this matter.


Keywords


Palestinians, Israelis, Homesteading, Land titles, Justification, Statutes of limitation.

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References


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