Jackson Calls for ‘trialogue’ Between American Blacks, Jews, Arabs to Help Bring About Mideast Peace

The Rev. Jesse Jackson called today for a “trialogue” between American Blacks, Arabs and Jews to help bring about peace in the Middle East.

“We Blacks, Arabs and Jews must talk to each other and not at each other,” Jackson said in an address to about 1,200 persons attending the national convention of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) at the Washington Hilton Hotel, “We Blacks, Arabs and Jews can export an American experience to the Middle East and not import their experiences here,” he said.

Jackson, a candidate for the Democratic Presidential nomination, said it was a “tragedy” that there was no dialogue in the Middle East but it was “even more (tragic) to see it here.” He said “the Jewish community must be challenged to know the pain of the Palestinians. The Jewish community must be helped to understand and identify with Palestinian exile …”

But, he added, “just as Jews must be helped to know the suffering of Palestinians, we must challenge the Palestinians to know and understand the fears and the history and suffering of the Jewish people as well.”

URGES U.S. TO TALK TO PLO AND ISRAEL

Jackson reiterated his position that peace in the Middle East requires both security for Israel behind internationally recognized borders and a Palestinian state. He urged the U.S. government to talk to the Palestine Liberation Organization as well as to Israel.

Jackson’s speech was interupted by standing ovations a number of times with several people yelling, “Run Jesse, run,” the familiar exhortation of encouragement by supporters of his candidacy. The convention ended at the conclusion of his speech. A fund-raiser for Jackson was heldsimmediately afterwards.

James Zogby, ADC’s executive director and a co-chairman of the Jackson campaign, said that Jackson’s “rainbow coalition” is a movement for “democratic rights. American Arabs have been locked out of the process and now we are invited into the process,” he said.

James Abourezk, ADC national chairman and a former Democratic Senator from South Dakota, said that Jackson “paid the price of not being an Arab-hater” through the villification he has received in the national press.

Declaring that he has spoken out against racism and anti-Semitism in his campaign, Jackson charged that “anti-Arab sentiments so prevelant in Western culture are another form of anti-Semitism.” He said “killings and occupations are legitimated for anti-Arab reasons,” stressing that he was speaking of Arab experiences throughout the Middle East.