Dear President Biden,

As Buddhists living here in the United States, with utmost urgency we request you to use your authority as President to call on the Israeli government to adopt an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. 

To be clear, we absolutely condemn the barbaric attacks of Hamas on Israeli civilians that took place on October 7th. We lament the heartless murder of over 1400 Israelis and the abduction of some 240 people as hostages. At the same time, however, we hold that the reprehensible actions of Hamas cannot justify the relentless military campaign that Israel has unleashed against the Palestinian population of Gaza with more than 10,000 deaths. Our hearts are shattered by the horrific images we see daily of the carnage and devastation in that land. We insist that the bombing and blockade must stop!

As the President of this country, you have the most powerful voice in the world. In the name of compassion and human decency, Mr. President, please demand that the Israeli government adopt a ceasefire without delay. Proclaim that both Israelis and Palestinians should enjoy the same rights that we hold dear: the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Begin the process by which both peoples can live together in peace and mutual respect.

We know that the road to peace will be long and hard, but we must make a start now with an immediate and unconditional ceasefire on all sides, the release of all the hostages being held captive by Hamas, and the opening of a secure corridor for the safe passage of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. 

We also protest Israel’s longstanding military occupation of the West Bank. The resolution of this problem must also be part of an enduring peace package. The apartheid regime under which Palestinians live must end, so that Palestinians can be free from decades of harassment, humiliation, and violent displacement from their homes.

We know that, in your heart, you are a man of compassion who has endured painful personal losses in your own life. Please extend this compassion to our Palestinian brothers and sisters in the occupied territories, whose yearning for freedom and self-determination is as deep as our own. And thereby help free the people of Israel from fear and from further attacks. Your future legacy depends on how you respond to this bitter crisis, one on which the eyes of the whole world are focused. 

Let’s heed the words of John Lennon from long ago: “All we are saying is give peace a chance.”

Thank you for giving attention to this appeal.