Taking land by Eminent Domain in the United States, is decided by elected officials, and people appointed by those elected officials. The seized land is paid for. The land is used, for purposes that benefit everyone: roads, schools, military bases, etc. Therefore, it is accepted, almost always without violence, by those whose land is taken. The crucial difference in Israel, is that the community whose land is being taken, has zero power and gets zero benefits.
If my private land is taken, to widen a road, it will be possible to convince me to make this private sacrifice, for the public good. I'll be able to use the road. I may not like it, but I'll accept it. In Palestine, those whose land is taken, get no benefits. In fact, the taken land is being used to make their lives worse. And they certainly didn't get to vote for the government who is taking their land. |
