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 thinkers.

"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.