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'We Cannot Stand by Silently': Israelis Unite to Pray, Stand in Solidarity With Syrian Victims of Turkish Invasion

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JERUSALEM, Israel - Israelis took to the streets of Jerusalem this week to protest Turkey's brutal invasion into northeast Syria and to stand in solidarity with the Christians, Kurds, and other civilians who are fighting for their lives. 

The "Jerusalemite Initiative", a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering Christian Arabs in Israel, organized a demonstration calling on Turkey to stop the violence. 

"This week, the Turkish dictator Erdogan initiated a war in northern Syria against the Kurds and Christians," The Jerusalem Initiative said in a statement. "Hundreds of Kurds and Christians have been killed and hundreds of thousands have been forced to leave their homes."

The United States announced on Thursday that Turkey agreed to a five-day ceasefire, but the fighting in northeast Syria continues. 

"We cannot stand by silently while this goes on," the statement continued. 

Jews and Christians from Israel, as well as Kurdish Muslims and Jews from Kurdistan, all attended the demonstration. 

"It's a commitment, a Jewish commitment not to stay silent, not to stand and just watch something like genocide happening," one protestor told CBN News. 

The group also held a special prayer gathering with Christians of many different denominations at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the heart of Jerusalem's Old City. 

Jerusalem Initiative cofounder Elias Zarina said Turkey's actions remind him of the bloody genocide the Ottoman Empire committed against the Armenian people.

"[We are] Remembering again and again what is happening there - another genocide for [other] minorities all over the Middle East like Yazidis, like Christians, all the minorities are suffering...Families are refugees. Just sitting in a camp between a border. They don't belong to any country now."

Zarina is "shocked" that many Christians in the US don't know the reality of Christian persecution in the Middle East. He wants to make sure the Christians of northeast Syria know their brothers and sisters are standing with them in Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem Initiative's message is getting across loud and clear to the Christians and other religious minorities in northeast Syria. 

"The reaction of the Christians in Syria was really positive for Israel because it changed people's minds about Israel," said Zarina. "They said it's the only Christian community that stands with us in Israel. It shows how much Israel is a democracy...no other Christian community demonstrated (for) them...like in Lebanon, like in Jordan, even the Coptics in Egypt, nobody (stood) with them. It shows that Israel is the most democratic country in the Middle East.

He also called on Israel to give humanitarian aid like food or medicine to the people. 

In the meantime, CBN's Operation Blessing is working with the Barzani Charity Foundation in northeast Syria to provide relief, including thousands of boxes of food, cases of water, blankets, baby formula, and hygiene kits.

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About The Author

Emily
Jones

Emily Jones is a multi-media journalist for CBN News in Jerusalem. Before she moved to the Middle East in 2019, she spent years regularly traveling to the region to study the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, meet with government officials, and raise awareness about Christian persecution. During her college years, Emily served as president of Regent University's Christians United for Israel chapter and spoke alongside world leaders at numerous conferences and events. She is an active member of the Philos Project, an organization that seeks to promote positive Christian engagement with the Middle