Meeting with Mayor’s staff and council staff on Gaza and Pohakuloa
Meeting with the Mayor’s staff and council staff on Gaza and Pohakuloa Nov. 21, 2023
A delegation today met with Mayor Mitch Roth’s staff and Council member Matt Kleinfelder’s staff to discuss and urge action for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, immediate humanitarian aid, the release of hostages and prisoners, and opposition to the US State Dept. sending 24 000 assault weapons to Israeli settlers in the West Bank which will only add fuel to the fire against Palestinians in the West Bank. We also urged the cancellation of the State lease of land to Pohakuloa — a bombing and shelling live-fire military base in a conservation district. We also noted increasing fires started in Pohakuloa, a dry and windy area in the center of Hawaii island. We urged comprehensive independent testing and monitoring with 360-degree proper air filters circling the base for a year to determine what is coming off the base in the wind and smoke. We also urged independent testing of water wells drilled at Pohakuloa for military toxins, since the wells drilled 10 years ago are still not being used by the military. Instead, the military continues to haul water to the base at an estimated annual cost of 2 million dollars, All in all, the meetings were very positive. Council member Klinfelder’s staff informed us that Matt had called the PTA commander about our request for the commander to participate in a public community meeting to respond to community questions and concerns. We still haven’t heard from the commander about his willingness to join the meeting.
Jim Albertini
