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<div class="header reader-header reader-show-element"> <font
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href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/19/opinion/sunday/martin-luther-king-palestine-israel.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/19/opinion/sunday/martin-luther-king-palestine-israel.html</a></font>
<h1 class="reader-title">Time to Break the Silence on Palestine</h1>
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<div class="reader-estimated-time">By <a
href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/michelle-alexander"
class="css-1riqqik e1jsehar0"><span class="css-1baulvz"
itemprop="name">Michelle Alexander</span></a> - January
19, 2019<br>
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<p><b>Martin Luther King Jr. courageously spoke out
about the Vietnam War. We must do the same when it
comes to this grave injustice of our time. </b></p>
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<p>On April 4, 1967, exactly one year before his
assassination, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
stepped up to the lectern at the Riverside Church
in Manhattan. The United States had been in active
combat in Vietnam for two years and tens of
thousands of people had been killed, including
some 10,000 American troops. The political
establishment — from left to right — backed the
war, and more than 400,000 American service
members were in Vietnam, their lives on the line.
</p>
<p>Many of King’s strongest allies urged him to
remain silent about the war or at least to
soft-pedal any criticism. They knew that if he
told the whole truth about the unjust and
disastrous war he would be falsely labeled a
Communist, suffer retaliation and severe backlash,
alienate supporters and threaten the fragile
progress of the civil rights movement.</p>
<p>King rejected all the well-meaning advice and
said, “I come to this magnificent house of worship
tonight because my conscience leaves me no other
choice.” Quoting a statement by the Clergy and
Laymen Concerned About Vietnam, he said, “A time
comes when silence is betrayal” and added, “that
time has come for us in relation to Vietnam.”</p>
<p>It was a lonely, moral stance. And it cost him.
But it set an example of what is required of us if
we are to honor our deepest values in times of
crisis, even when silence would better serve our
personal interests or the communities and causes
we hold most dear. It’s what I think about when I
go over the excuses and rationalizations that have
kept me largely silent on one of the great moral
challenges of our time: the crisis in
Israel-Palestine.</p>
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<p>I have not been alone. Until very recently, the
entire Congress has remained mostly silent on the
human rights nightmare that has unfolded in the
occupied territories. Our elected representatives,
who operate in a political environment where
Israel's political lobby <a
href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/" title=""
rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">holds
well-documented power,</a> have consistently
minimized and deflected criticism of the State of
Israel, even as it has grown more emboldened in
its occupation of Palestinian territory and
adopted some practices reminiscent of apartheid in
South Africa and Jim Crow segregation in the
United States.</p>
<p>Many civil rights activists and organizations
have remained silent as well, not because they
lack concern or sympathy for the Palestinian
people, but because they fear loss of funding from
foundations, and false charges of anti-Semitism.
They worry, as I once did, that their important
social justice work will be compromised or
discredited by smear campaigns. </p>
<p>Similarly, many students are fearful of
expressing support for Palestinian rights because
of the McCarthyite tactics of secret organizations
like<a
href="https://theintercept.com/2018/11/22/israel-boycott-canary-mission-blacklist/"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"> Canary Mission</a>, which
blacklists those who publicly dare to support
boycotts against Israel, jeopardizing their
employment prospects and future careers.</p>
<p>Reading King’s <a
href="https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/beyond-vietnam"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank">speech</a> at Riverside more
than 50 years later, I am left with little doubt
that his teachings and message require us to speak
out passionately against the human rights crisis
in Israel-Palestine, despite the risks and despite
the complexity of the issues. King argued, when
speaking of Vietnam, that even “when the issues at
hand seem as perplexing as they often do in the
case of this dreadful conflict,” we must not be
mesmerized by uncertainty. “We must speak with all
the humility that is appropriate to our limited
vision, but we must speak.”</p>
<p>And so, if we are to honor King’s message and not
merely the man, we must condemn Israel’s actions:
unrelenting violations of international law,
continued occupation of the West Bank, East
Jerusalem, and Gaza, home demolitions and land
confiscations. We must cry out at the treatment of
Palestinians at checkpoints, the routine searches
of their homes and restrictions on their
movements, and the severely limited access to
decent housing, schools, food, hospitals and water
that many of them face.</p>
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<p>We must not tolerate Israel’s refusal even to
discuss the right of Palestinian refugees to
return to their homes, as prescribed by United
Nations resolutions, and we ought to question the
U.S. government funds that have supported <a
href="http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/CoIGaza/A_HRC_CRP_4.docx"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank">multiple hostilities</a> and
thousands of civilian casualties in Gaza, as well
as the<a
href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/14/world/middleeast/israel-benjamin-netanyahu-military-aid.html?module=inline"
title=""> $38 billion</a> the U.S. government
has pledged in military support to Israel.</p>
<p>And finally, we must, with as much courage and
conviction as we can muster, speak out against the
system of legal discrimination that exists inside
Israel, a system complete with, according to
Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights
in Israel, more than 50 laws that discriminate
against Palestinians — such as the new<a
href="https://www.newsweek.com/israel-passes-nation-state-law-amid-accusations-racism-and-apartheid-1032630"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"> nation-state law</a> that says
explicitly that only Jewish Israelis have the
right of self-determination in Israel, ignoring
the rights of the Arab minority that makes up 21
percent of the population.</p>
<p>Of course, there will be those who say that we
can’t know for sure what King would do or think
regarding Israel-Palestine today. That is true.
The evidence regarding King’s views on Israel is<a
href="https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/martinkramer/files/words_of_martin_luther_king.pdf"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"> complicated and contradictory</a>.
</p>
<p>Although the Student Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee <a
href="https://www.crmvet.org/docs/670815_sncc_palestine.pdf"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank">denounced</a> Israel’s actions
against Palestinians, King found himself
conflicted. Like many black leaders of the time,
he recognized European Jewry as a persecuted,
oppressed and homeless people striving to build a
nation of their own, and he wanted to show
solidarity with the Jewish community, which had
been a critically important ally in the civil
rights movement.</p>
<p>Ultimately, King canceled a<a
href="https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/martin-luther-king-jr-s-pilgrimage-to-israel-that-never-was-1.5975340"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"> pilgrimage</a> to Israel in
1967 after Israel captured the West Bank. During a
phone call about the visit with his advisers, he
said, “I just think that if I go, the Arab world,
and of course Africa and Asia for that matter,
would interpret this as endorsing everything that
Israel has done, and I do have questions of
doubt.” </p>
<p>He continued to support Israel’s right to exist
but<strong> </strong>also said on national
television that it would be necessary for Israel
to return parts of its conquered territory to
achieve true peace and security and to avoid
exacerbating the conflict. There was no way King
could publicly reconcile his commitment to
nonviolence and justice for all people,
everywhere, with what had transpired after the
1967 war.</p>
<p>Today, we can only speculate about where King
would stand. Yet I find myself in agreement with
the historian Robin D.G. Kelley, who<a
href="https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/2509-yes-i-said-national-liberation"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"> concluded</a> that, if King had
the opportunity to study the current situation in
the same way he had studied Vietnam, “his
unequivocal opposition to violence, colonialism,
racism and militarism would have made him an
incisive critic of Israel’s current policies.”</p>
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<p>Indeed, King’s views may have evolved alongside
many other spiritually grounded thinkers, like
Rabbi Brian Walt, who has spoken publicly about
the reasons that he abandoned his faith in what he
viewed as political Zionism. To him, he recently
explained to me, liberal Zionism meant that he
believed in the creation of a Jewish state that
would be a desperately needed safe haven and
cultural center for Jewish people around the
world, "a state that would reflect as well as
honor the highest ideals of the Jewish tradition.”
He said he grew up in South Africa in a family
that shared those views and identified as a
liberal Zionist,<strong> </strong>until his
experiences in the occupied territories forever
changed him.</p>
<p>During more than 20 visits to the West Bank and
Gaza, he saw horrific human rights abuses,
including Palestinian homes being bulldozed while
people cried — children's toys strewn over one
demolished site — and saw Palestinian lands being
confiscated to make way for new illegal
settlements subsidized by the Israeli government.
He was forced to reckon with the reality that
these demolitions, settlements and acts of violent
dispossession were not rogue moves, but fully
supported and enabled by the Israeli military. For
him, the turning point was witnessing legalized
discrimination against Palestinians — including
streets for Jews only — which, he said, was worse
in some ways than what he had witnessed as a boy
in South Africa.</p>
<p>Not so long ago, it was fairly rare to hear this
perspective. That is no longer the case.</p>
<p><a href="https://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank">Jewish Voice for Peace</a>, for
example, aims to educate the American public about
“the forced displacement of approximately 750,000
Palestinians that began with Israel’s
establishment and that continues to this day.”
Growing numbers of people of all faiths and
backgrounds have spoken out with more boldness and
courage. American organizations such as <a
href="https://ifnotnowmovement.org/" title=""
rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">If Not
Now</a> support young American Jews as they
struggle to break the deadly silence that still
exists among too many people regarding the
occupation, and hundreds of secular and
faith-based groups have joined the <a
href="https://uscpr.org/" title="" rel="noopener
noreferrer" target="_blank">U.S. Campaign for
Palestinian Rights</a>. </p>
<p>In view of these developments, it seems the days
when critiques of Zionism and the actions of the
State of Israel can be written off as
anti-Semitism are coming to an end. There seems to
be increased understanding that criticism of the
policies and practices of the Israeli government <a
href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/07/opinion/rashida-tlaib-israel-antisemitism.html?module=inline"
title="">is not, in itself, anti-Semitic.</a></p>
<p>This is not to say that anti-Semitism is not
real. Neo-Nazism is<a
href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/09/violent-protests-chemnitz-germany/569206/"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"> resurging</a> in Germany within
a growing anti-immigrant movement. Anti-Semitic
incidents in the United States <a
href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/29/us/anti-semitism-attacks.html?module=inline"
title=""> rose 57</a> percent in 2017, and many
of us are still mourning what is believed to be<a
href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/27/us/jewish-hate-crimes-fbi/index.html"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"> the deadliest attack on Jewish
people in American history</a>. We must be
mindful in this climate that, while criticism of
Israel is not inherently anti-Semitic, it can
slide there.</p>
<p>Fortunately, people like the Rev. Dr. William J.
Barber II are leading by example,<a
href="https://www.thenation.com/article/in-response-to-pittsburgh-we-must-come-together-as-one/"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"> pledging allegiance to the
fight against anti-Semitism</a> while also
demonstrating unwavering solidarity with the
Palestinian people struggling to survive under
Israeli occupation. </p>
<p>He declared in a<a
href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg63AYzPwN0"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"> riveting speech</a> last year
that we cannot talk about justice without
addressing the displacement of native peoples, the
systemic racism of colonialism and the injustice
of government repression. In the same breath he
said: “I want to say, as clearly as I know how,
that the humanity and the dignity of any person or
people cannot in any way diminish the humanity and
dignity of another person or another people. To
hold fast to the image of God in every person is
to insist that the Palestinian child is as
precious as the Jewish child.”</p>
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<p>Guided by this kind of moral clarity, faith
groups are taking action. In 2016, the pension
board of the United Methodist Church<a
href="https://www.kairosresponse.org/pr_umc_divests_israeli_banks_jan2016.html"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"> excluded from</a> its
multibillion-dollar pension fund Israeli banks
whose loans for settlement construction violate
international law. Similarly, the United Church of
Christ the year before passed a<a
href="http://www.ucc.org/news_general_synod_israel_palestine_resolution_06302015"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"> resolution</a> calling for
divestments and boycotts of companies that profit
from Israel’s occupation of Palestinian
territories.</p>
<p>Even in Congress, change is on the horizon. For
the first time, two sitting members,
Representatives Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota,
and Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan,<a
href="https://thehill.com/homenews/house/419511-first-palestinian-american-congresswoman-plans-west-bank-trip-for-freshman"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"> publicly support</a> the
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. In
2017, Representative Betty McCollum, Democrat of
Minnesota, introduced a resolution to ensure that
no U.S. military aid went to support Israel’s
juvenile military detention system. Israel
regularly prosecutes Palestinian children
detainees in the occupied territories in military
court.</p>
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<div data-testid="photoviewer-wrapper">
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height="420.20001220703125px" width="630px">
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<p><span>Relatives of a Palestinian nurse, Razan
al-Najjar, 21, mourning in June after she was
shot dead in Gaza by Israeli soldiers.</span><span
itemprop="copyrightHolder"><span>Credit</span><span>Hosam
Salem for The New York Times</span></span></p>
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<p>None of this is to say that the tide has turned
entirely or that retaliation has ceased against
those who express strong support for Palestinian
rights. To the contrary, just as King received
fierce, overwhelming criticism for his speech
condemning the Vietnam War — 168 major newspapers,
including The Times,<a
href="https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125355148"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"> denounced</a> the address the
following day — those who speak publicly in
support of the liberation of the Palestinian
people still risk condemnation and backlash. </p>
<p>Bahia Amawi, an American speech pathologist of
Palestinian descent, was<a
href="https://theintercept.com/2018/12/17/israel-texas-anti-bds-law/"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"> recently terminated</a> for
refusing to sign a contract that contains an
anti-boycott pledge stating that she does not, and
will not, participate in boycotting the State of
Israel. In November, Marc Lamont Hill was fired
from CNN for giving a speech in support of
Palestinian rights that was <a
href="http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/commentary/marc-lamont-hill-temple-university-cnn-palestine-israel-united-nations-20181201.html"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank">grossly misinterpreted</a> as
expressing support for violence<strong>. </strong>Canary
Mission continues to pose a<a
href="https://forward.com/news/national/407279/canary-missions-threat-grows-from-us-campuses-to-the-israeli-border/"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"> serious threat</a> to student
activists. </p>
<p>And just over a week ago, the Birmingham Civil
Rights Institute in Alabama, apparently under
pressure mainly from segments of the Jewish
community and others,<a
href="https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/alabama-civil-rights-institute-rescinds-angela-davis-honor-60208390"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"> rescinded an honor</a> it
bestowed upon the civil rights icon Angela Davis,
who has been a vocal critic of Israel’s treatment
of Palestinians and supports B.D.S.</p>
<p>But that attack backfired. Within 48 hours,
academics and activists had mobilized in response.
The mayor of Birmingham, Randall Woodfin, as well
as the Birmingham School Board and the City
Council, expressed outrage at the institute’s
decision. The council unanimously passed a<a
href="https://www.birminghamalcitycouncil.org/2019/01/08/birmingham-city-council-unanimously-approves-resolution-of-support-for-dr-angela-davis/"
title="" rel="noopener noreferrer"
target="_blank"> resolution</a> in Davis’ honor,
and an alternative event is being organized to
celebrate her decades-long commitment to
liberation for all.</p>
<p>I cannot say for certain that King would applaud
Birmingham for its zealous defense of Angela
Davis’s solidarity with Palestinian people. But I
do. In this new year, I aim to speak with greater
courage and conviction about injustices beyond our
borders, particularly those that are funded by our
government, and stand in solidarity with struggles
for democracy and freedom. My conscience leaves me
no other choice.</p>
<p>______________________________________<br>
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<p>Michelle Alexander became a New York Times
columnist in 2018. She is a civil rights lawyer
and advocate, legal scholar and author of “The New
Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of
Colorblindness.” <span> </span></p>
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<p>A version of this article appears in print on <time
datetime="2019-01-20T05:00:00.000Z">Jan. 19, 2019</time>,
on Page SR1 of the New York edition with the headline:
Time to Break the Silence on Palestine<span>. </span></p>
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