What Would Martin Luther King Think About Israel vs. Palestine?
If you’re relatively new to the issues related to Kremlin propaganda and how it’s affecting other countries (including the United States), I recommend reading some background posts I wrote that explains things in more detail along with links to other sites where you can read more to educate yourself.
This weekend is the Martin Luther King holiday weekend and some pro-Palestinian protests are taking place across the US and in other countries. (I've seen flyers and tweets posted online annoucing a protest in London on Saturday. ) The one that is scheduled in Washington, DC on January 13 is still going ahead as planned but the location has been changed from the National Mall to Freedom Plaza.
On the actual King holiday itself (January 15) there will be another protest scheduled in New York City that's being billed as “Flood Manhattan for Gaza. March for Healthcare.”
Gaza and health care? The flyer itself sounds confusing but the above tweet elaborated that it's a pro-Palestine march led by health care workers. Some people mentioned that the confusing wording is reminiscent of previous posts made on social media by Russian troll farms.
There is definitely some suspicion about these protests.
It's possible that they could be psyops that are designed to get Donald Trump reelected. Past movements have had their share of trouble from agent provacateurs, who are people who pretend to be supporters of a movement but, in reality, they only care about committing violence in an effort to discredit that movement. (Usually agent provocateurs are either working for a law enforcement agency or on behalf of an opposition group or political party or even a foreign government.) Trump has said that he will institute a Muslim travel ban and bar Gaza refugees from entering the US. If enough people become concerned about all of these pro-Palestinian protests, especially if they become violent, it could encourage some voters to vote for Trump.
If you’re among the pro-Israel crowd, don't think that your side is immune from being infiltrated by agent provocateurs. There are certain people out there (such as the Russians and Donald Trump's most loyal supporters) who will do everything possible to make sure that Trump in elected in November. If doing bad things on behalf of the Israeli cause will achieve this, they will do them. Especially if their efforts to do similar stuff on the pro-Palestinian side fails.
I've been lurking on Black Twitter and there are people who are miffed at these protesters using the MLK holiday for their own cause.
If all that weren’t enough, both the Israel supporters and Palestine supporters are trying to claim Martin Luther King for their own. I did some online searches to see what was exactly Martin Luther King's view on Israel and Palestine. He made some comments about the issue, especially shortly before he was assassinated in 1968.
This article from Mother Jones magazine includes excerpts from a transcript of a 1967 television interview where Martin Luther King expressed his views on Israel's relation with the Arab world.
This video further elaborates on King's attitudes towards both Israel and Palestine.
Basically he sided with both groups and he felt that they both had the right to exist and live side by side in peace. With that position, it's very likely that King would've been very sad and concerned over both the October 7 terrorist attacks and the constant bombing of Gaza that has displaced the majority of the Palestinians living there.
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