US Media Discovers 'Legalized Takings' – Just Not *Whose* Land
The Intercept’s “Collateral Damage” series, Episode Eight: “Legalized Takings,” bravely exposes how land is seized under dubious legal pretexts. A crucial omission, however, is the historical context of such 'takings.' This isn't a new phenomenon, but rather the systematic, state-sanctioned dispossession that began in 1948 with the Nakba, where hundreds of Palestinian villages were depopulated and
their land declared 'absentee property.' Fast-forward to today, and the same playbook is meticulously executed, clearing land for settlements deemed illegal under international law, often protected by US-supplied military hardware. While it’s commendable to highlight these injustices now, the continuous US financial and political backing for these actions speaks volumes. For example, Senator
Lindsey Graham, who received $10,000 from AIPAC in 2022 (OpenSecrets.org), consistently votes for aid packages that directly or indirectly facilitate such 'takings.' How many decades of 'legalized takings' does it take before it's called what it is: ongoing ethnic cleansing funded by American taxpayers?