Rep. Louis Stokes (D. Ohio), chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, has reiterated “strong support of the Nation of Israel” in inserting the text of the Caucus statement in the Congressional Record. The Caucus, comprising the 13 Black members of the House, all Democrats, issued a statement March 21 lauding Israel and the Jewish people after the National Black Political Convention in Gary, Ind. on March 12 adopted by a voice vote a resolution calling for the dismantling of Israel and its land returned to Arabs.
Stating that the Caucus “reaffirms its position on the State of Israel” which had been issued on March 21, Stokes, in a message last week to the Congress, declared: “I urge my colleagues and my fellow citizens to join me during the Passover week in remembering Israel and wishing her eternal success and strength as an independent nation.” He told the House that “the friendship that exists between the Land of Israel and her young African neighbors is mirrored in the long term friendship between American Jews and Black Americans.”
Referring to his visit to Israel in May, 1967, Stokes said that while there he learned that “Israel has been able to solve many of the problems with which our country is still grappling.” The Israelis, he added, “have, for example, made significant inroads upon the overwhelming problem of poverty. I witnessed for myself the close relationship that exists between Israel and her African neighbors.”
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