REJOINDER TO NINO ON ZIONISM AND THE CANCEL CULTURE OF THE LIBERTARIAN MOVEMENT

Nino (2025) is an attack on libertarianism in general and on my views in particular. He maintains that it is impossible, without contradiction, to both support this free-market philosophy which is grounded upon the non-aggression principle (NAP), and, also, to defend the recent and previous behavior of Israel. That country, he contends, is a blatant violator not only of libertarian principle, but also of civilized behavior. Further, Israel has also violated the private property rights of the Palestinians. Thus, their actions of October 7, 2023, can be seen as just a retaliation of the injustice previously perpetrated upon them. The Jewish state has stolen lands from the Gazans and other Palestinians. It has turned Gaza itself into “an open-air prison.” My defense of the only civilized country in the Middle East, thus, cannot possibly be logically compatible with the principles of libertarianism, he avers. In his diatribe against me, Nino pulls out all the stops. He sees nothing whatsoever of any value in my defense of the Jewish state. The present paper consists of my refutation of each and every one of this author’s critical claims. In my view, his screed is not motivated by a search for the truth of the matter. Rather, he wishes to tear down the case in behalf of Israel, and defend that of Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and their paymaster and leader, Iran.