From powerlessness to compassion  

How can we contribute to justice in Palestine?

At the beginning of July, we published an open letter in Dutch language, about how to relate to the (man-made) humanitarian disaster in Gaza. The letter was very well received and was subsequently translated into English and German.1 Unfortunately, little has changed since then. The Israeli regime led by Prime Minister Netanyahu continues its policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide unabated.

The official death toll now stands at more than 65,000.2 At the end of August, The Guardian published figures from a confidential database of the Israeli military intelligence service. These show that 83% of the Palestinians killed by Israeli troops in Gaza were civilians, including a large number of women and children.3 This percentage of non-combatant victims is extreme and unusually high. At the same time, the inhabitants of Gaza are continue to face starvation and an urgent lack of emergency aid. Terms such as ‘genocide’ and ‘ethnic cleansing’ have therefore become painfully commonplace in the context of Gaza.4

In addition, there is a strong drive for expansion. In the West Bank, Israeli settlers have appropriated more and more land – often by force – from Palestinians who have lived there for centuries. The Israeli army is doing little to stop this process, and the government even has plans for further expansion.5 Furthermore, Netanyahu has presented a plan for a so-called ‘Greater Israel’, which would also annex parts of neighbouring countries. All of this is being legitimised under the guise of Israel’s security.

It remains important to emphasise that Hamas’ violent attack remains unacceptable6 and that Israel naturally has the right to defend itself. However, the response of the Israeli regime and army has been – and continues to be – completely disproportionate. We would also like to reiterate that our criticism is not directed against the Israeli people or Judaism, but against the genocidal policies of the Netanyahu government and the implementation of these policies.

The silence of the international community

Unfortunately, a large part of the international community still chooses to remain silent, and Israel continues to receive diplomatic, military, academic and economic support – including from the Netherlands and many other European countries. As a result, the genocide in Gaza can continue unabated.

We continue to believe that ending the violence by all parties involved is both possible and necessary. In addition, it is of great importance to work towards sustainable solutions in which Israel and Palestine can coexist peacefully. We believe it is not unreasonable to work towards the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside the existing state of Israel.

Although our open letter was very well received, in our opinion there is still a striking silence in many Buddhist communities, including the Vipassanā tradition within we ourselves practise. When attention is paid, it is, in our opinion, too often in general terms such as ‘war’ or ‘conflict’ or with only a wish such as ‘May there be peace’, without explicitly mentioning the genocidal actions of the Netanyahu government. Or attempts are made to maintain an equanimous, silent neutrality. As a result, the unprecedented suffering of the Palestinian people does not receive the attention it deserves, and thus we are complicit.7

Compassion-in-action

In our previous article, we therefore mentioned various ways to practise non-violent and compassionate action. From a distance, there is little we can do as individuals, and we recognise that feeling of powerlessness ourselves. Yet there is a simple way to contribute: signing a petition. Seemingly a small act, but together with many others, it makes a powerful statement. With this follow-up article, we invite you to speak out and sign one, two or three of the international petitions below.

  • The Stop the Genocide campaign calls on everyone around the world to demand that their country vote in favour of establishing a multinational armed protection force to stop the genocide during the UN General Assembly, using a pre-formulated and easy-to-send email.
  • A Call to Meditation Practitioners and Teachers Inspired by Buddhism – for all meditation practitioners and teachers who are inspired by the practice of mindfulness and/or Buddhism. More than 625 meditators have already signed this list.
  • An Ethical Commitment from Liberation Circle – this list is specifically for teachers and meditative communities (sanghas) promoting the practice of mindfulness, meditation and/or Buddhist psychology (the Dharma) in some way as a teacher, guide, coach, trainer or sangha.8

We warmly invite you to participate in these actions and to stand for compassion and justice. Anything that is done non-violently and with a beneficial intention, no matter how small, can help to reduce violence and alleviate suffering … May it serve and support all those suffering from the current violence in Gaza.

Frits Koster and Joost van den Heuvel Rijnders,
21st September 2025

Notes:

  1. Click here to read our entire original article ‘Silence is not always golden’ – this article was written by seven meditation teachers who lead Vipassanā retreats in the Netherlands and Flanders.
  2. Click here to read the article ‘Skewering History: The Odious Politics of Counting Gaza’s Dead’ by Richard Hil and Gideon Polya. In this article, the actual number of deaths in Gaza is estimated to be shockingly higher.
  3. Click here to read the article ‘Revealed: Israeli military’s own data indicates civilian death rate of 83% in Gaza war’ from The Guardian.
  4. The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) has clearly stated that Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza correspond to the internationally recognised definition of genocide established by the UN. Click here to read this resolution. In addition, an independent international commission of inquiry of the United Nations published a report this week clearly stating that the Israeli state has been committing genocide since 7 October 2023 with the intention of destroying Palestinians. Click here to read the report of the UN commission of inquiry.
  5. Click here for an article on this subject from the Reuters news agency.
  6. Nevertheless, many sources emphasise that this attack took place against a backdrop of prolonged oppression of the Palestinian people. See also our previous article.
  7. Howard Zinn, professor of history at Boston University (1922 – 2010), once said: “Neutrality is a choice for the status quo.” And the status quo in Gaza is, unfortunately, completely unbalanced, unjust and inhumane. That is why, in our opinion, impassive silence is not enough.
  8. Liberation Circle also offers regular meetings for (Buddhist) meditators to share, exchange information and continue to inspire each other in relating to this humanitarian tragedy.