Taipei, Oct. 22 (CNA) As the war between Israel and Hamas continues, both Israeli and Islamic communities in Taiwan have been organizing events to convey compassion and solidarity with those facing the devastating consequences of the ongoing conflict.
Taipei Grand Mosque held a charity sale over the weekend in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Titled “Stand With Palestinian Refugees,” the event saw about 20 stalls selling Turkish delight, Halal rice dumplings, hand-made Bangladeshi cuisine, clothing and crafts at the mosque to support “our Palestinian brothers and sister refugees,” the organizer said in a Facebook post.
CNA video Oct. 22, 2023
A Taiwanese patron, surnamed Chang (張), told CNA on Sunday that he felt compelled to attend the event because he supports the Palestinians, adding that “retaliatory action should be exercised with restraint,” without elaborating.
The 45-year-old salesperson also shared his perspective on Taiwan’s foreign policy amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, saying “Taiwan aligns itself closely with the United States and Ukraine, which is why it tends to be more pro-Israel.”
Also at the event was Jordanian Hadeel Arnaut (艾敏), whose grandmother is Palestinian.
“[The war] is tremendous pain for us. My grandmother is suffering because she has lost her hometown,” the English tutor told CNA.
“We just wish one day it can be ended,” she said.
In a phone interview with CNA, J.M., a Palestinian student in Taiwan who wished to remain anonymous to avoid any repercussions, painted a grim picture of Gaza before the current siege.
He underscored that the region has been subjected to an extended blockade by Israel, resulting in its residents having virtually no semblance of a normal life.
“Just imagine China blocking Taiwan for 20 years. [Taiwanese people] would have no access, no food, and no jobs,” he said. “Only by restoring human rights to the Palestinians can the conflict come to a halt.”
According to Abdullah Cheng (鄭平), one of the event volunteers, the Taipei Grand Mosque is still in the process of selecting suitable NGOs to which it will donate the raised funds.
The most likely candidates include the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), he said.
Meanwhile, the roughly 2,000 people who make up the Israeli community in Taiwan have also been shattered by the war.
Shlomi Tabib, the Rabbi of Chabad Taiwan, previously told CNA that “the Israelis, including myself, I am also originally from Israel, and so is my wife, and all our families are in Israel. We are obviously very concerned over everything that’s going on.”
Israel is a small place, it is very likely that people from the country know someone that is blood related to either the victims or people who were abducted and hijacked, Rabbi Shlomi said.
A lot of emotional support is required and the center is trying to raise the morale of Jewish people here, he noted, adding that personally he has been trying to avoid being too exposed to conflict-related information because it only does harm.
Jewish people in Taiwan have been regularly getting together to pray and send their love to their brothers and sisters in Israel, the Rabbi added.
“We’re trying to harness the pain into action, because just sitting here and crying is not going to help our friends and our brothers, we have to really be active,” he said.
Israeli national Dana Sela recalled she couldn’t stop shaking and crying when she found out that so many of her loved ones are affected by the attacks.
Sela told CNA she is not planning to fly home soon, adding “my job here is to make sure that the world will see the truth and realize that there is no possible excuse and justification to these brutal attacks upon us.”
According to Rabbi Shlomi, a total of 11 Israelis have flown home from Taipei, since the initial Hamas attack on Oct. 7, for reserve duty in the Israeli Defense Force.
The Israel Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei will hold a briefing to provide up-to-date information and insights from the Israeli government in Taipei on Oct. 26.
The office serves as Israel’s de facto embassy in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.
