A delegation of 500 African-American and African Christian leaders arrived in Israel on Thursday as part of the "Unfinished Business" pilgrimage, an initiative organized and led by the Black Christian Leadership Council on Israel Relations (BCLCIR).
The visit seeks to fulfill plans for a trip to Israel envisioned by civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. nearly six decades ago but never happened, BCLCIR explained.
According to the BCLCIR website, King planned to lead “hundreds, possibly thousands” of Black Americans on a tour of Israel in November 1967. The plans were detailed in private correspondence between King and then-prime minister Levi Eshkol, as well as former prime minister David Ben-Gurion, exchanged between January and May of that year.
The trip was postponed following the Six Day War and rescheduled for 1968, the year King was assassinated, according to the BCLCIR.
The council organized the November 2026 pilgrimage to mark what would have been the 59th anniversary of King's planned visit.
“For Black American supporters of Israel, Dr. King’s Holy Land tour represents unfinished business,” BCLCIR stated.
State of Israel account celebrates pilgrimage
“At a time when it proves most costly, these brave leaders came to see Israel for themselves, led by their faith, a deep commitment to the truth, and in service of Black - Jewish community building, a special tradition built by generations of solidarity,” the State of Israel's official X/Twitter account posted on Thursday.
“As part of their trip, they also honored Israelis whose lives were forever changed by October 7 and by antisemitism, including Elkana Bohbot, who survived 738 days in Hamas captivity,” the post added.