
Civilian suffering in Syria, stemming from government efforts to forcibly reclaim territories that achieved de facto autonomy in the early 2010s, is eliciting profound concern worldwide and particularly in Israel, where observers are tracking the rapidly deteriorating situation of the Syrian Kurdish community with growing alarm. In light of these developments, Dr. Mikhaïl Mirilashvili, President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC), has urged the Israeli government and the international community to intervene in the Syrian-Kurdish city of Kobanê, situated on the Syrian-Turkish border, which is currently undergoing a humanitarian catastrophe. In the view of the EAJC, the current situation in Kobanê constitutes a flagrant violation of the fundamental tenets of international humanitarian law that cannot be overlooked.
Statement by EAJC President, Dr. Mikhaïl Mirilashvili:
"The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress is deeply alarmed by reports of the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Syrian-Kurdish city of Kobanê, which is currently under blockade and subjected to armed aggression.
According to media reports, the city has been completely surrounded, with electricity and water supplies severed, food shipments halted, and communications and internet access periodically disrupted. Under these siege conditions, innocent civilians—including children, the elderly, and families—are deprived of basic necessities required for survival.
We regard these developments as a severe humanitarian catastrophe and a flagrant violation of fundamental international humanitarian law. The collective punishment of civilian populations, the denial of vital resources, and attempts at armed subjection cannot be justified by any political or military rationale.
In 2014, Kobanê became a symbol of resistance against barbarism and extremism. Today, the city's Kurdish community appeals once again to the world for assistance.
The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress calls upon the international community, United Nations bodies, and human rights and humanitarian organizations to demand an immediate end to the blockade of Kobanê, to guarantee unhindered humanitarian access to the city, and to implement urgent measures to protect the civilian population.
We appeal specifically to the Government of the State of Israel. Israel is a state founded upon the tragic legacy of systematic extermination and the prolonged silence of the international community. Consequently, Israel cannot and must not remain indifferent to the plight of a population currently facing the threat of annihilation.
We are convinced that Israel's historical memory, moral responsibility, and international standing both enable and obligate it to employ all available political, diplomatic, and humanitarian channels to protect the civilian population of Kobanê and to prevent further escalation of this conflict.
The historical experience of the Jewish people demonstrates unequivocally that silence in the face of darkness and systematic violence is unacceptable. We consider it our moral duty to speak out in defense of those trapped in moral peril.
Kobanê must not be abandoned to darkness—whether physical, political, or moral."
SHARE


