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Historic Civil Rights Leader Calls on Palestinians to Renounce All Violence

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Civil Rights Leader Clarence B. JonesCriticizes African-American Leadership for Not Fighting Anti-Semitism

One of the giants of the American Civil Rights Movement, Clarence B. Jones, a close confidant and personal attorney for the late Martin Luther King, Jr.—helping him draft the immortal “I Have A Dream” speech—insists that the Palestinian leadership must have the courage to publicly reject all violence against Israel if there is ever to be a chance for peace in the Middle East and a two-state solution.

In an exclusive interview with Shalom TV President Mark S. Golub, Jones explains, “I want to make it very clear: I say to my Palestinian brothers and sisters, the only way there is going to be Middle East peace is you’ve got to 24/7 renounce at all times any and all forms of violence.” For Jones, who supports the two-state solution, no Palestinian leader has had the political courage to acknowledge that a policy of violence against Israel has been “a political mistake” and to adopt the principle of non-violence championed by Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ghandi.

Jones is also unequivocal in crediting the American Jewish community for the political success of the Civil Rights movement.

“The most important, reliable, decisive component of the white majority population in the (Civil Rights) struggle was the American Jewish community. Our success in the Civil Rights Movement, and in raising the consciousness of America—to politically do that—was made possible because of the working coalition and political alliance we had with the American Jewish community.”

The 81-year old professor, who is currently a scholar in residence at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Institute at Stanford University and the author with Stuart Connelly of Behind the Dream: The Making of the Speech that Transformed a Nation, recalls the Jews who gave their lives in the struggle for black equality in America—specifically citing the work done by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Stanley David Levison; and the sacrifice of Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, murdered with black civil rights worker James Cheney in Mississippi in 1964.

Jones is also forthright in his criticism of the African-American leadership that tolerated a rise in anti-Semitism after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, and acknowledges that American Jewry had reason to feel hurt when the African-American community turned its back on the coalition.

“The African-American leadership did not aggressively call out what it was: pure, unadulterated anti-Semitic anger. Those African-American leaders who had the stature, for one reason or another, either equivocated or silently stood by and said nothing.”

However, Jones feels that African-Americans now have “very positive attitudes” toward American Jewry—though some are concerned that American Jews “unnecessarily attack the integrity and credibility of this African-American president.” But Jones emphasizes the profound bonds which link the Jewish and African-American communities and predicts, “At the end of the day, the most reliable community you may want to turn to is the African-American community.”

Mark Golub’s interview with Clarence Jones on the Shalom TV program “L’Chayim” is now available for viewing in the free Video On Demand section of virtually every cable system in the United States. It can also be seen on the Shalom TV Web site.

Shalom TV is America’s national Jewish television network featuring PBS-style programming of information, education, and entertainment. The free Shalom TV channel—featuring daily news from Israel and Shalom TV’s daily news updates, children’s programming every morning and afternoon, and timely interviews—is currently available on Hotwire Communications in New York City, Miami, Palm Beach, and parts of New Jersey; and is available online at www.shalomtv.com. Shalom TV’s free VOD programming is available in more than 40 million homes on cable systems throughout the US and in Canada.

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