The 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem

June 8, 2017 Agencies
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken at a joint Knesset-U.S. Congress event marking the 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem.

 

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Photo:  Amos Ben-Gershom (GPO)

He said: It’s a pleasure to address you from Jerusalem, the eternal undivided capital of the Jewish State of Israel.

Why do I say Jerusalem will never be divided again? Because I remember what it was like when it was divided.

The first thing is we ensured that Jerusalem was a free city for all. That’s the first thing that we did. We made sure that the holy sites of Judaism, of Christianity and Islam were available to all.

This is something that can be appreciated in retrospect, because, look around us. Understand what would happen to this, it’s not even a square kilometer. What would happen to this less-than-a-square-mile if we weren’t here? It would descend into horrible sectarian violence. It would descend into the worst barbarism that the world has seen since the outrages of World War II. We’ve seen Mosques blown up, churches blown up, synagogues blown up.

But we don’t see that. We see that in this great convulsion that is taking place around us, there is one free city where Christians, Jews and Muslims are free to worship undisturbed, and that’s in the free united city of Jerusalem. And that’s how it will stay.

We are deeply, deeply indebted to you, our American friends, for supporting us. We know that you understand in substance and in spirit our quest for redemption. We know that you understand that the story of Israel, in many ways, the rebirth of Israel and our return to this land and to this city, I think you understand in your hearts, that this is a parable for all humanity. Because if the Jews can overcome the worst travails in history, that means there is hope for all humanity.

I want to thank you for this brilliant gesture and I want to tell you once again, America has no better friend than Israel, and Israel surely has no better friend than the United States of America.”

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat’s said: “On June 7, 1967, fifty years ago today, paratroopers reached the Western Wall and reunited the city of Jerusalem. This was a moment that the Jewish people had dreamed of for 2,000 years.
I applaud the US Senate on the unanimous passage of a resolution recognizing Jerusalem as the eternal, indivisible capital of the Jewish people. Since reuniting Jerusalem fifty years ago, Israel has maintained freedom of religion, movement, and expression – values we share with our closest ally, the United States. As we mark the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem’s reunification, I am grateful for the unbreakable bond between the US and Israel.”

Comments

One Response to “The 50th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem”
  1. Lynne Newington says:

    Daniel Pipes has his insight and questions worth reading….http://www.danielpipes.org/17639/what-if-fifty-years-after-the-six-day-war

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