The Bitcoin Standard Podcast 299. Property Rights: The Root of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
Nov 11, 2025
The lecture explores how the denial of property rights is the fundamental cause of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It dissects historical land ownership statistics and the impact of 1948 expulsions. The discussion highlights the dual legal systems in the region, the systematic demolition of Palestinian homes, and overall restrictions on mobility. It emphasizes that a lack of property rights leads to conflict, challenging the narrative of ethnic hatred. Historical examples of coexistence underscore the importance of property rights as a foundation for civil society.
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Property Rights Or Conflict
- Denying private property rights predictably causes violent conflict anywhere it occurs.
- Saifedean Ammous argues Palestine's conflict stems from replacing private ownership with state-controlled, race-based land allocation.
Land Ownership Before 1948
- In 1945 Jews owned about 5.67% of Palestine while non-Jews owned 48.3% and 46% was public/desert.
- Among privately owned land only 10.5% was Jewish, concentrated on the coast and north.
Ethnostate Versus Property Distribution
- By 1948 Jews were about 31% of the population but owned less than 6% of the land.
- Ammous says turning a minority population into an ethnostate inevitably requires violating others' property rights.
