There are some signs of close ties between Israel and the Kurdish community. One read “Israel loves Kurdistan,” while others went a step further and openly called for military action against the regime.
About 50 protesters gathered outside the U.S. Embassy on Wednesday night, loudly protesting Washington’s inaction in the face of the recent massacres carried out by the Sala regime. This time, the violence is targeting Syria’s Kurds, after months of attacks on Syria’s ethnic minorities.
There are some signs of close ties between Israel and the Kurdish community. One read “Israel loves Kurdistan,” while others went a step further and openly called for military action against Shara’s regime. “Bomb Giuliani now,” one banner declared.
Calls for Israeli intervention are not limited to the fringes of the crowd. The protesters appeared to come from a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds. Many believe that Israel’s own security would be threatened if an Islamist regime with a record of brutality against minorities was allowed to rule unchecked on its borders. “To avoid another October 7 at the Haifa border, we need to help each other,” one protester told the crowd.
Yehuda Ben Yosef, Chairman of the Kurdish Community in Israel jerusalem post He wants the United States and Israel to take all necessary measures to end what he calls a genocide.
“I don’t know what [should be done to stop the violence]”But I trust Netanyahu,” Ben Joseph said. He’ll do what he can, maybe with the military [or] Maybe just say ‘if you do something, we will come, we will bring our troops to this place. ‘”
On January 21, 2026, approximately 50 protesters gathered outside the U.S. Embassy to protest Washington’s inaction during the recent massacres committed by the Shara regime in Syria. (Image source: DANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD)
“We ask Prime Minister Netanyahu to help the Kurds,” Ben Yosef told the crowd. “Do whatever you can. We know Israel is fighting a lot of people. [enemies]we know it’s hard, but we have to do something. The Jews know what the Holocaust is, and it has been going on in Rojava (the Democratic Autonomous Government of Northern and Eastern Syria) for the past few days. “
The crowd plastered the sidewalks with handwritten signs, flags and chanted slogans against Salat and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, while encouraging the United States to finally take action to support its long-time ally the Syrian Democratic Forces.
a shared sense of betrayal
Among Kurdish demonstrators and their allies, there is a palpable sense of shared betrayal. Protesters have accused Sharal and Erdogan of committing acts of terrorism, pointing to the former’s long history with Islamist terror groups, while demanding that the United States be held accountable to communities they say have long been on the front lines against Islamic extremism.
Their anger stems from new comments from Erdogan, who considers the SDF and several other Kurdish groups terrorists, saying on Wednesday the SDF must lay down their weapons and disband to avoid further bloodshed.
Eliana, a political researcher, Kurdish Jewish community consultant and activist, said images and videos from Syria have heightened the protesters’ sense of urgency.
“We’ve seen videos of women being abducted and sold into sex slavery. We’ve seen videos of beheadings. We’ve seen all kinds of crimes against humanity that are being committed now, and we’ve also seen the world’s absolute silence,” she told Post.
She said international pressure had forced Sala to agree to a ceasefire, but warned that sustained pressure would be needed to ensure it was maintained. Eliana noted that ethnic minorities across Syria have been repeatedly targeted, with victims including the Druze and Alawite communities, while the Islamist groups currently in power continue to carry out massacres largely unchallenged.
Asked what kind of intervention she would like from the United States, Eliana said she believed military support was necessary.
“I want the United States to stand firmly with the people they have called allies for years. I want them to live up to their promises. Of course, the Kurds fought. They fought ISIS to protect themselves, to protect the region, to protect the world, but they also fought for their own liberation. They fought to be able to rule themselves democratically, to be able to speak their own language, to be able to coexist with their ancient traditions and culture,” she said.
Many protesters also expressed anger at recent comments by U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump’s praise of the salad’s appearance. “Mr. President, please listen to us and don’t let our Kurdish allies die,” protesters chanted.
Speaking at a news conference in Washington, Trump appeared to support Syrian President Ahmed Salat and said the United States was also “working hard to protect the Kurds.”
Despite ongoing reports of violence by Syrian government forces, U.S. envoy Tom Barak said the regime’s proposal to integrate Kurdish forces into central Syria was the “best opportunity” they could exploit. He added that Washington’s original purpose of backing the SDF in the fight against Islamic State had largely failed and said the United States had no long-term interest in remaining in Syria.
Eliana said Barak’s comments reflected a broader pattern. “I think he said the Kurds are like disposable weapons that they don’t need anymore,” she said.
For many protesters, the regime’s attack on the former U.S.-backed SDF represents a deep betrayal. Kurdish-led forces spent years fighting Islamic State and, at times, Tahrir al-Sham, which at the time was still designated a terrorist organization by Washington. While northeastern Syria’s Kurdish community has previously exercised a degree of autonomy, protesters say the regime is now dismantling that arrangement under the banner of national unity.
“It’s absolutely crazy to me that Salad, who was once one of America’s most wanted men with a multimillion-dollar bounty on his head, is now legitimized as the president of a country, and now, after putting him in a suit and trimming his beard a little bit, we’re supposed to forget that this guy is a member of Al Qaeda, a member of ISIS, and all his actions so far in Syria have proven that. “He is what he has always been,” Eliana said. “He is a terrorist. “
Thousands of Islamic State militants were released during the clashes after the SDF were forced to abandon the Homs camp housing thousands of prisoners. The Self-Defense Forces said on SDF spokesman Farhad al-Shami also told Iraqi news website Rudaw that approximately “1,500 ISIS fighters – including foreigners and Syrian nationals – have been released from Shadadi prison in southern Hasaka by regime-affiliated armed groups.
Videos circulating online purportedly show regime forces committing widespread war crimes and releasing terrorists. The videos and accusations allegedly show sexual violence, the killing and abduction of civilians, including women and children, and acts of torture. In a video mentioned by Elyana that has been censored but not verified postalMen allegedly belonging to the regime forced a Kurdish man to bark like a dog before gouging out his eyes.
Although the SDF and regime forces have reached multiple ceasefires under U.S. pressure, each side has accused the other of violating the terms. Just one day after such a deal was announced, Syria accused the SDF of attacking seven Syrian soldiers, a claim the Kurdish forces deny.
Reuters contributed to this report.