Why I Choose to Stand with the Oppressed Beyond the Headlines”
Dear Editor,
In recent months, as the war in Gaza has intensified and the death toll surpasses 60,000 lives, most of them women and children, the world watches in horror. The destruction is biblical in scale, but so is the silence of many nations. Some critics have rightly pointed out that Palau, despite our small size and humble existence, continues to vote in support of Israel at the United Nations often aligning with the United States, even when the moral clarity of a ceasefire or humanitarian aid seems undeniable.
We must confront an uncomfortable truth. Our vote in support of Israel while a symbolic gesture in the halls of power has very real consequences in perception, principle, and global solidarity. Earlier this year, a ship sailing under the Palauan flag was decertified and then reportedly destroyed by Israeli military action. No formal inquiry, no statement of remorse, and yet we still choose silence over sovereignty. If this is partnership, it’s one of submission.
Some defend this allegiance by invoking a theological justification: Israel, they argue, is a nation spoken of in the Bible, and thus sacred. But this is a political Israel, not the spiritual covenant described in scripture. To blindly support any modern state without scrutiny is not righteousness; it is idolatry of power. Our faith, if it is to mean anything, should compel us to speak up for the innocent no matter which side of the wall they are born on.
Yes, what is happening in Gaza is a tragedy of epic proportions. No, just society can look upon such suffering and not weep. But I must also ask: What has global condemnation actually accomplished? Votes of censure, declarations, boycotts, these gestures have yet to stop the bombs or lift the blockade. We are applauding our own moral outrage, not protecting lives. And often, these performative politics come with a bitter aftertaste of hypocrisy.
Because where are the tears for West Papua? For over 60 years, our Pacific brothers and sisters have fought for freedom from Indonesian occupation. Their cries have been ignored, erased, and forgotten. Their oppression is not on CNN, so the world pretends it does not exist.
Where is the outrage for Sudan, where war and famine grind millions into dust? For Haiti, where gang violence has created a humanitarian collapse? For Myanmar, where military rule crushes ethnic minorities? For the Uyghurs in China, whose persecution has been documented but never stopped? For the migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, treated like invaders in cages by a state that claims to be the defender of liberty? And yes, the climate crisis itself is birthing new conflicts across Africa and Asia, creating drought refugees and economic collapse.
Where is the global unity then?
So, I say this with a humble but firm heart: Do not write holier-than-thou letters condemning Palau’s vote if your voice is absent for the voiceless in all corners of the world. Justice is not seasonal, and solidarity should not follow social media trends.
I will continue to pray for the people of Gaza and all the victims of war in the Middle East. I do not turn away because I do not care. I turn inward because I have limited time, energy, and resources. And I choose to focus them first on those closest to me, on my brothers and sisters in West Papua, on Indigenous sovereignty, and on the neglected peripheries of power where silence is deepest.
Let us clean our own house, confront the oppression in our own region, and then, only then, can we speak with clarity and integrity about the world’s brokenness. Until all are free, none of us are.
Your Humble Servant
Al Kahalic