Editorial: The Price of Silence – Gaza and the Pacific’s Conscience
The Bible teaches compassion, not silence. If Pacific nations stay quiet on Gaza, we betray both our faith and our humanity.
For Tonga, as for many small island nations, aid is more than a budget line. It funds hospitals, schools, and roads. It rebuilds villages after cyclones and fills the gaps in government accounts. Yet every dollar accepted carries an invisible condition: political silence when conscience demands a voice.
The crisis in Gaza exposes this bargain in its rawest form. Entire communities have been destroyed. Independent observers and international jurists warn that the scale of devastation amounts to the gravest mass atrocity seen since the Second World War. The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel’s actions may plausibly constitute genocide. When ceasefire resolutions reach the United Nations, Tonga, like several of our Pacific neighbours, has abstained or remained quiet.
There is also a deeper question of moral integrity. In parts of the Pacific, Biblical justifications are often cited in support of Israel. Yet the teachings of scripture stand in direct contradiction to the killing of civilians, the destruction of homes, and the denial of human dignity. How can the systematic punishment of an entire people be defended by reference to texts that condemn such acts? Moreover, to legitimise present-day violence on the basis of words written thousands of years ago ignores a simple fact: the modern State of Israel was established only in 1948.
This silence is not truly about scripture. It is shaped by dependence. The United States is one of Tonga’s key partners in security and development assistance. To vote against Washington’s position on Israel may not bring immediate cuts in aid, but leaders know that such decisions carry political risks, including over disaster relief, climate funding, and broader cooperation. The choice becomes survival set against principle.
A nation that trades principle for short-term survival loses more than its voice. It loses the essence of sovereignty. Tonga demands climate justice in the same international forums, insisting that the world recognise our suffering as the seas rise and storms intensify. If we silence ourselves when another people faces extermination, why should others listen when we ask for justice?
Aid dependency has bent our words and narrowed our courage. That is a dangerous place for a country that prides itself on dignity, faith, and strength. The time has come for Tonga to speak without hesitation. Humanitarian law is not negotiable, and no amount of foreign assistance can excuse complicity in atrocity.
If we wish to be taken seriously as a sovereign nation, we cannot remain silent in the face of genocide. Tonga’s voice must be heard, not only for Palestine but for our own integrity.
