Thousands of flag-waving evangelical Christians from dozens of countries marched in Jerusalem on Thursday as part of annual religious celebrations that are also a show of support for Israel.
Many evangelicals see Israel's existence as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy, and a pilgrimage to the holy city is auspicious during the festival of Sukkot – a holiday which evangelicals celebrate as the Feast of the Tabernacles – which this year started on Sept. 23 and ends Sept. 30.
Thursday's parade was festooned with Israeli flags, as well as those of the native countries of the marchers, many of whom also wore their traditional national garb.
Israeli police said more than 7,000 people took part in the march which the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, a main organizer of the event, described as an "expression [of] our solidarity with Israel."
