Group criticizes Lingle trip to Israel
By Mary Kaye Ritz
Advertiser Religion & Ethics Writer
About 50 people from various Christian and Muslim groups gathered yesterday on the fifth floor of the state Capitol to criticize Gov. Linda Lingle's recent trip to Israel.
During the May 16-22 trip, Lingle met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, planted a tree, discussed agricultural cooperation and sought "to raise Hawai'i awareness" among potential visitors.
As activists and clergy took turns at the loudspeaker yesterday, the message that emerged was that the 28-person trip to the Mideast failed to consider the plight of Palestinians.
"Gov. Linda Lingle's trip to Israel did not convey what we represent," said George Hudes, who attends Congregation Sof Ma'Arav, a conservative Jewish congregation. He said Hawai'i stands for diverse cultures living together in harmony and that the trip was "a slap in the face for what we represent."
Lingle, at a fund-raiser in Waikiki last night, said her trip was not about politics. "My trip was not political. It was really an economic development and cultural kind of a trip," said the governor, who is Jewish. "It was just a trip of a lifetime."
The governor's press secretary, Russell Pang, said the governor was aware of yesterday's meeting and received a letter the group presented to her office signed by eight religious groups, peace organizations and civic clubs. "She will be reading it and taking it under consideration," he said.
Lingle "did meet with a wide variety of people in Israel," said Pang. "She did not go to West Bank, because she was not allowed to go, but she met with Jews, Muslims and Christians — people from the left, the right, the middle of the road."
Raji Abuzalaf, who attends the Christian church New Hope Hawai'i Kai, talked about injustices in his family's homeland of Galilee and asked U.S. leaders to "discontinue support of carnage, disguised as security enforcement" and to "coerce the end of Israeli occupation and harassment in Palestine."
The letter the group sent to Lingle read in part: "We call upon you to appeal to the aloha and compassion of our state's people for both the Israeli and the Palestinian people." It called on Lingle to meet with "representatives here who can speak of the ... conditions of the Palestinians," to speak out about the suffering of the Palestinians and to raise money for homeless Palestinians.
Lingle's trip to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Golan Heights and Galilee was paid for by the Israeli government. Three rabbis from Hawai'i and about 10 members of Hawai'i's various Jewish communities also went on the trip.
One of the contingent, Rabbi Avi Magid of Temple Emanu-El, said, "While the governor's group met with individuals purposely representing the spectrum of political beliefs that characterized Israel's democracy, I was personally not aware that her visit was an expression of American foreign policy. What I saw was a state leader who listened carefully and asked solid questions about political issues.
"However, I also saw her and her cabinet members primarily concerned to hear about a broad variety of practices and agricultural technologies geared to help our state."
Advertiser staff writer Derrick DePledge contributed to this report. Reach Mary Kaye Ritz at mritz@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8035.
