Dalai Lama Seeks To Bring People Closer On Israel Visit
Published: Thursday, 16 February, 2006
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Jerusalem, 15 February 2006 (By Leor Kodner, Haaretz Correspondent) - The Dalai
Lama, who arrived in Israel for his fourth visit Wednesday, said the
purpose of his trip was to bring human beings closer, and the fact that
neither Israeli nor Palestinian officials had agreed to meet with him
did not seem to bother him. "This has nothing to do with
governments," the Dalai Lama said. "I want to say to both peoples that
through violence they will attain nothing in the long term, and will
only complicate things and create more hatred. After 50 years
the time has come to think and to find a way for dialogue. The Israelis
have to respect thePalestinians and vice-versa. There is readiness for
dialogue on both sides, so really, the time has come". The Dalai
Lama said it was "to early to say" whether Israel should talk to Hamas.
"I think we should wait and see," he added, appealing to Hamas to turn
away from violence and to approach the situation "more realistically." Wearing
his trademark red robe and yellow shirt, large watch and out-sized
glasses, the 14th Dalai Lama, who was named leader of the Tibetans at
the age of two, told reporters laughingly that he had not slept well
the previous night, and "perhaps my brain will not function as it
should." The 70-year-old leader was in Israel for a crowded five
days of lectures on Buddhism, meetings with the Israel-Tibetan
Friendship League, and a tour of Bethlehem. He said he would be meeting
with Palestinians in Bethlehem, and "so if some Hamas people may join,
then I am happy
to see them." The Foreign Ministry and the
Prime Minister's Office are ignoring the visit in light of its
complicated relations with China, including the cancellation of the
sale of Phalcon radar systems to China. However the Shin Bet security
service provided a bodyguard for the Dalai Lama, over protests from
Beijing. Israel Radio reported that the Chinese consul in Tel
Aviv had sent a letter of protest to the Israeli authorities, comparing
the Dalai Lama to the head of Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's
destruction. "If China would let the head of Hamas visit, Israel would be angry," the radio station cited the letter as saying. Foreign
Ministry spokesman Mark Regev would not confirm that China had sent
such a letter, saying only that the Israeli government was not involved
in the Dalai Lama's visit. Officials at the Chinese Embassy in Tel Aviv
could not be reached for comment. The Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet
in 1959 during a failed revolt against Chinese rule and now lives
across the border in India, said that since the Tibetans had become
refugees they had tried to learn the secret of the Jews' preservation
of their culture in the Diaspora. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate
said he did not know how to solve the problem here although "if I would
stay here for a few months, perhaps I would think of something." He
added, "We believe in a solution of peace, and here in the region there
are too many wars. We need peace, peace,
peace." An emissary
of the Dalai Lama arrived Wednesday in China for a new round of talks
with Beijing, the fifth since 2002. The Dalai Lama told reporters that
Tibet was "not seeking independence," but a "meaningful autonomy." He
said he believed the Tibetans would achieve autonomy in his lifetime. In
an interview with Haaretz, the Dalai Lama said he recognized the aura
of fame that surrounded him and brought politicians, singers, writers
and actors from the West to visit him in India, and said it was only a
passing trend. "Clearly the sympathy for the Tibetan people is a
fashion and is temporary. But on the other hand, serious people are
really learning more the principles of Buddhism and more institutions
are teaching our religion and that will remain for a much longer time." The
Dalai Lama said he did not want to deal with what people said or
thought about him, which would be wrong for him to do as a Buddhist. "I
think my popularity and fame are important to the Tibetan movement.
Winning the Nobel Prize opened to me the opportunity to appeal to wide
audiences and tell many people about Tibet." The Tibetan leader
said media reports of a possible split in the movement after his death,
when the Chinese would place a leader of their choosing at the head of
Tibet's Buddhists, were ridiculous. "The Chinese have been
trying for years to spread rumors about my condition," he said. "Three
years ago, Chinese leaders said I had fatal cancer and I was going to
die soon. Many people, even some close to me, believed this. Of course,
it did not happen. The Tibetan people will continue to flourish without
me. The various streams of Tibetan Buddhism have worthy leadership and
they can represent a new generation." |
