Hundreds of Israelis rallied near the US Embassy’s Tel Aviv branch on Tuesday to protest Turkey’s offensive against the Kurds. Demonstrators charged that President Donald Trump was enabling a “genocide” of Kurds in Syria by allowing Turkish aggression.
The protesters chanted slogans in support of the Kurds and denounced Trump for “falling asleep and assisting genocide.”
A small contingent of riot police forces deployed outside the US Embassy branch ahead of the rally. There were no incidents, however, and the crowd dispersed peacefully.
Separately, Israel’s Chief Rabbi David Lau also warned that the Kurdish people are facing the threat of “mass genocide” at this time. “Our moral duty is to act immediately, and before it’s too late,” he said.
Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Turkey and its proxies may seek to ethnically cleanse the Kurdish population.
Op-Ed Urges Military Aid to Kurds
Meanwhile, a former Israeli politician has called on the government to extend military assistance to the Kurds in northern Syria. Aryeh Eldad, who served as a Knesset member until 2012, also condemned Trump for “betraying” his Kurdish allies.
The US president’s decision amounted to “moral bankruptcy,” Eldad wrote in an op-ed published in Israeli daily Ma’ariv. US isolationism has already proven disastrous for world peace in the past, he added.
Eldad, who previously served as the IDF’s chief medical officer, praised Netanyahu for offering humanitarian aid to the Kurds. However, he urged the PM to also provide arms and air support, even if this harms the Turkish military.
“The time has come to signal to Turkey that we are fed up with their open support for Hamas and their efforts to take over important parts of Jerusalem,” Eldad wrote.
Turkey has been steadily boosting its foothold in Jerusalem in recent years and exerting growing influence at key Muslim institutions in the city.
