A group of 200 Christian leaders from seven Asian countries
met in the Philippines this week in a show of solidarity with Israel.
The first "Jerusalem Summit Asia," which was inspired by the Jerusalem
Summit held in Israel last fall, brought together Christian friends
of Israel from the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Burma, Thailand,
India, and Taiwan, along with members of the Knesset's Christian Allies
Caucus, which aims to garner the support of, and work with, pro-Israel
Christians around the world.
"This historic event heralds a new era of cooperation between Israel
and Asia," said the co-chairman of the Christian Allies Caucus, MK Yuri
Shtern (National Union) in a telephone interview from Manila.
A declaration passed by the evangelical members of the conference at
the conclusion of the two-day meet called on their governments to move
their embassies to Jerusalem, not to vote against Israel at the United
Nations, and to scrutinize the financial aid their countries are providing
to the Palestinian Authority, said Dmitry Radyshevsky, the executive
director of the Jerusalem Summit, an annual meeting of conservative
"This unprecedented gathering will have a long-lasting effect on Israeli-Asian
relations," said caucus director Josh Reinstein, adding that Singapore
had agreed to host a similar event in Asia next year.