The suffering undergone by both Israelis and Palestinians in the Holy Land has been heart- wrenching and we surely lament those who have lost their lives. Yet, as George Hudes said, the violence giving rise to the suffering has not taken place in a vacuum, but is a result of 75 years of oppression endured by the Palestinian people at the hands of Israel (“Israelis, Palestinians must be made whole,” Star-Advertiser, Letters, Oct. 13).
On Oct. 9, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu correctly said that what Israel is about to do in Gaza will be “remembered for generations,” but it is not only Israelis who will remember, but also Palestinians. And the violence and retribution will just go on and on.
It might be good for us to advocate a different approach, and that is the approach of kapu aloha — the approach of nonviolence — that Queen Liliuokalani took when she urged her supporters not to take up arms against those who overthrew her and the Hawaiian Kingdom.
There is no military solution to the present conflict in the Holy Land. We can only hope for an alternative that will ensure safety, equality, well-being, peace and justice for both Palestinians and Israelis.
The Rev. Neal MacPherson
Nuuanu
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