American Buddhists Urge Trump to Intervene in Gaza Crisis in Petition Led by Bhikkhu Bodhi

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American Buddhists Urge Trump to Intervene in Gaza Crisis in Petition Led by Bhikkhu Bodhi

By Justin Whitaker
July 24, 2025

A group of American Buddhists has issued a public appeal to President Donald Trump, urging him to intervene in what they describe as a “deliberately calculated policy of mass starvation” being carried out in Gaza by Israel. The petition, written and circulated by the respected Buddhist monk and scholar Bhikkhu Bodhi, calls on Trump to pressure the Israeli government to allow food aid into the besieged Palestinian territory. As of this writing, the petition has 410 signatures.

Bhikkhu Bodhi, an American-born Theravada monk ordained in Sri Lanka in 1972, is the founder of the socially engaged organization Buddhist Global Relief and a well-known voice in engaged Buddhism. Bhikkhu Bodhi is widely respected for his translations of Pali texts and his long-standing advocacy for human rights and global hunger relief. The petition he started reflects his continued commitment to applying Buddhist ethics to pressing global issues.

The petition begins by expressing clear condemnation of the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, and urges the release of Israeli hostages. At the same time, it expresses deep moral concern over Israel’s military retaliation in Gaza, describing a worsening humanitarian catastrophe that includes “the targeted killing of journalists, doctors, medical staff, university professors, and hospital patients.” (Change.org)

The petition includes discussion of the death of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was reportedly killed along with a rescue team attempting to reach her. “Yet all these acts of destruction—as horrific as they are—pale in comparison to what we witness in Gaza today,” the petition reads. “We now see with our own eyes an entire population being subjected to a deliberately calculated policy of mass starvation.” (Change.org)

The petition accuses the Israeli government of cutting off food and clean water supplies to Gaza and describes the resulting conditions in harrowing detail: “Thousands of people have gone for weeks without obtaining even a morsel to eat. Babies are perishing from lack of infant formula. Children reduced to skin and bones lie motionlessly in bed.” (Change.org)

Addressing Trump directly, the petition asserts: “There is only one person in the world who can stop it: You.” (Change.org) It urges him to call Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and demand that aid be allowed to enter Gaza under the auspices of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). According to the petition, the WFP has “thousands of trucks ready to enter Gaza and distribute food throughout the Strip.” (Change.org)

The petition ends with a call for a permanent ceasefire and the resumption of food distribution in Gaza, stating: “Let peace prevail in Israel and Palestine, let peace prevail everywhere!” (Change.org)

This appeal is the latest example of Buddhist engagement with the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, which has drawn criticism from numerous global humanitarian organizations and religious communities. American Buddhists—although a minority, constituting roughly 1 per cent of the U.S. population—have increasingly spoken out on issues of international concern, particularly where they see grave violations of human dignity and nonviolence, key principles in Buddhist ethical thought.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen following the Israeli military campaign launched in response to Hamas’s attack in October 2023, in which more than 1,100 Israelis were killed and more than 240 taken hostage. Since then, the Gaza Strip has been subjected to extensive bombardments and a tightening blockade that has drastically limited access to food, clean water, fuel, and medical supplies.

According to the United Nations and multiple humanitarian agencies, conditions in Gaza have reached catastrophic levels. Reports indicate that malnutrition is widespread, particularly among children, and that medical services are on the brink of collapse. UN officials have described the situation as “hell on earth,” and have repeatedly called for sustained humanitarian access and a ceasefire. (United Nations)

The Buddhist community has joined other religious and civil society groups in calling for an immediate end to the violence and for renewed commitments to peace and humanitarian relief. While perspectives on the conflict vary, many Buddhist leaders emphasize compassion for all beings and the urgent need to end suffering through peaceful means.

Justin Whitaker

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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