Buddhist Scholar Maung Zarni among Interfaith Delegation Visiting Palestine

TRANSCEND MEMBERS, 9 Sep 2024

Justin Whitaker | Buddhistdoor Global - TRANSCEND Media Service

An interfaith peace delegation in the West Bank.  Photo by Sunita Viswanath, The Nation

5 Sep 2024 – An interfaith peace delegation has traveled to Palestine to advocate for a ceasefire and an end to violence amid escalating tensions in the region. The delegation, organized by Rabbis for Ceasefire and Christians for Ceasefire, included Christians, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and a Buddhist scholar, who aimed to meet with Palestinians affected by the ongoing conflict and express solidarity with those enduring hardships.

The 35 faith representatives, who included Maung Zarni, a Burmese human rights activist and genocide scholar, were invited to join the peace mission in Palestine. “As a Burmese and a Buddhist, I cannot keep my mouth shut when Israel is perpetrating a fully-fledged textbook genocide in Gaza,” Zarni said of his visit. “Seeing the tanks coming out of Gaza and hearing the airstrikes at this Rafah Crossing makes me feel I am standing in front of a mass grave. Gaza is a mass grave in the making.” (American Kahani)

The director of Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR-UK), Rajiv Sinha, was denied entry by Israeli authorities. Sinha, who had planned to protest for the past 10 months, was detained for more than five hours, along with several Palestinians. Executive director of Hindus for Human Rights, Sunita Viswanath, wrote that Sinha “got a bitter taste of what ordinary daily life has been for Palestinians for the past seven decades.” (The Wire)

During their time in Palestine, Viswanath noted that the delegation visited several sites, including Shufat Refugee Camp in East Jerusalem, which they reported had been frequently subjected to tear gas and live fire from Israeli forces.

The delegation also visited the Silwan neighborhood in East Jerusalem, where they met local community leader Fakhri Abu Diab, whose family home was demolished by Israeli authorities in February, despite a personal assurance from US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken that it would be spared. Fakhri told the delegation that settlers often invited Palestinians to destroy their own homes, which many did. His family has since begun rebuilding, although they face the possibility of further demolitions.

In Al-Makhrur, west of Bethlehem, the delegation met with the Kassieh family, who reported facing constant harassment from settlers. According to the Kassiehs, settlers have physically attacked them and filed false complaints, claiming that the family had initiated the violence. The delegates spoke with Alice Kassieh, who leads a grassroots movement resisting these pressures.

The group also traveled to the South Hebron Hills, where they visited the village of Umm Al Khair, which has been subjected to repeated demolitions by the Israeli military. The village is located near Carmel Settlement, an area under Israeli control.

The interfaith visit comes amid renewed international attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Hindus for Human Rights called on the global community “to act with urgency and compassion, to bear witness to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and to demand an immediate end to the violence.” (American Kahani)

The ongoing conflict has deep historical roots and has been marked by periods of intense violence and failed peace negotiations. Recent months have seen an increase in hostilities, drawing renewed calls from international leaders and activists for a peaceful resolution.

The interfaith delegation’s visit highlights the efforts of global communities to bring attention to the conditions faced by Palestinians and to promote dialogue and understanding between all parties involved in the conflict. The group plans to continue its advocacy for a ceasefire and an arms embargo, emphasizing the need for sustained international pressure to end the cycle of violence in the region.

Maung Zarni, who has been a vocal human rights advocate in Myanmar, has spoken out previously about the situation in Palestine. In an interview with Anadoul English, he said that the International Court of Justice usually made conservative judgments, but that the case presented by South Africa against Israel had won a judgement suggesting genocide. “The court was convinced by the evidence presented . . . that Israel is very likely, very plausibly violating its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention of Genocide,” he said. (YouTube)

Interfaith activists visit Palestine. From thewire.in

See more:

• Hindu and Buddhist Activists Hold Interfaith Prayer Vigil at Gaza-Israel Border Seeking Immediate Ceasefire (American Kahani)
• Palestine Diary: Where the Gaza Genocide Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg (The Wire)
• Rights activist Maung Zarni speaks to Anadolu about Israel’s ongoing deadly war on Gaza (YouTube)

Related news reports from BDG:

• Soka Gakkai Council on Peace Issues Releases “Statement on the Israel-Palestine Situation”
• Buddhist Global Relief Approves Emergency Donation to Help Those Suffering in Gaza
• American Buddhists Issue Petition Urging President Biden to Call for a Ceasefire in Gaza
• Buddhists in Sri Lanka Lead Interfaith Protest against Israeli War in Gaza

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Dr. Justin Whitaker is a Senior Correspondent for Buddhistdoor Global (BDG). Previously, he was a visiting instructor at Hong Kong University’s Centre for Buddhist Studies. He holds a PhD from the University of London, where his work on comparative philosophy focused on early Buddhist ideas and the ethics of Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). He is the author of “Reflecting on Meditation’s Ethics: Ignatian ‘Spiritual Exercises’ and Buddhist ‘Mettā-Bhāvanā’,” (Journal of Inter-Religious Studies, 2014) and co-author with Douglass Smith of “Reading the Buddha as a Philosopher” (Philosophy East and West, 2016) and “Ethics, Meditation, and Wisdom” in the Oxford Handbook of Buddhist Ethics, 2018. He currently lives in Missoula, Montana with his wife, daughter, and their cat after an exciting two years living in Hong Kong. His column, Western Dharma, is published occasionally. 

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