This probably won’t sit well with certain folks who frequently invoke the name of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. in support of their cause, but did you know King was a staunch supporter of Israel and the Jewish State?
Writing for The Times of Israel, Dumisani Washington reports, “Since his death, many groups have attempted to use the name of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as champion of their cause. His timeless quotes are applied to all things related to social justice, equality and political freedom. Of course, in addition to being a beacon for all of the above, Dr. King was also a staunch supporter of the State of Israel, and loyal friend to the Jewish people. Yet this historical, indisputable fact does not seem to phase anti-Zionists who also claim Dr. King’s posthumous blessing on their agenda. How do they reconcile such a blatant discrepancy? They simply label the Palestinians as victims and the Israelis as perpetrators, and voila: Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, becomes an obvious condemnation of the Jewish State.”
What is problematic for anti-Zionists and Palestinian supporters are Dr. King’s actual words. On March 26, 1968, ten days before his assassination, Dr. King was being honored at the 68th Annual Convention of the Rabbinical Assembly for Conservative Judaism. During a question and answer session, he said:
“I think it is necessary to say that what is basic and what is needed in the Middle East is peace. Peace for Israel is one thing. Peace for the Arab side of that world is another thing. Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all of our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel, and never mind saying it, as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land almost can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality.”
What makes these words more powerful is that they were spoken a year after the 1967 Six Day War. In that combat operation, Israel preemptively struck Egypt, Jordan, and Syria regaining control of Judea, Samaria (the West Bank), as well as Gaza and the Sinai Desert. What nation has ever returned land won in a war? Israel has, in seeking peace – and look what that has achieved.
Dr. King also demonstrated that being supportive of Israel does not categorically mean he was anti-Arab:
“On the other hand, we must see what peace for the Arabs means in a real sense of security on another level. Peace for the Arabs means the kind of economic security that they so desperately need. These nations, as you know, are part of that third world of hunger, of disease, of illiteracy. I think that as long as these conditions exist there will be tensions, there will be the endless quest to find scapegoats. So there is a need for a Marshall Plan for the Middle East, where we lift those who are at the bottom of the economic ladder and bring them into the mainstream of economic security.”
The truth is, today’s faux black leaders do not speak the truth. To borrow the term used by head of the North Carolina NAACP Rev. William Barber, they are only “mouthpieces” for liberal progressives — the most vile anti-Semitics in America. If Reverends Barber, Jackson, Sharpton, and Wright are indeed ministers of the Christian faith, they would stand in solidarity in support of the modern day State of Israel. After all, there is no Christianity without Israel either -just look at the shrinking Christian population in Bethlehem under Palestinian control.
What President Barack Hussein Obama and his henchman, Secretary of State John Kerry seek to impose on Israel is unconscionable. They would put the Israelis in a most untenable security situation with people who refuse to denounce Islamic terrorism and advocate Israel’s sovereign right to existence. Israel is hardly an oppressor and certainly not an “apartheid state.” When you consider the political, educational, and economic freedom Arabs in Israel possess, that assertion isn’t just false, it’s laughable.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will forever be an iconic figure in America’s history, not just for black Americans, but for all. He faith and vision to fulfill the words of Jefferson and the commitment of Lincoln made us a better nation – a nation true to its foundational ideals.
Many have used Dr. King’s name to advocate their cause. In this case, we only have to read his words.
