Jerusalem will remain the united capital of the Jewish people, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said on Sunday at the ceremony on Ammunition Hill marking 45 years since the city’s unification.
Netanyahu recounted recent visits to centuries-old synagogues in Prague and Amsterdam, pointing out that they, like synagogues around the world, face Jerusalem, symbolizing the Jewish people’s past and its home for the future.
“We will protect Jerusalem, because Israel without Jerusalem is like a body without a heart,” the prime minister said. “On this hill, 45 years ago, the united heart of our people began to beat again, with full power. Our heart will never be divided again.”
Giving up on a united Jerusalem would show weakness to our enemies, he explained, saying that a body that would give up its heart could not fight for anything.
IDF soldiers fought like lions 45 years ago, because they were fighting for Jerusalem, he said, and they changed history forever.
“Our generation had a great privilege – we saw the words of the prophets come true,” he declared. “We saw the rise of Zion, the return of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel, the in-gathering of exiles, and our return to Jerusalem.”
Netanyahu called for the “revolution” to be preserved.
“This is the place in which our past was revealed and our future is built,” he said. “We developed Jerusalem in the north, south, east and west, and we will keep building our capital.”
He concluded, “We will make sure Jerusalem’s golden light will shine on our people, and spread the light of Jerusalem to the whole world.”
President Shimon Peres called for peace among nations and religions living in Jerusalem, recalling the many battles in the Holy City’s history.
“In six days, our soldiers, with their bravery and heroism, contributed a great chapter in the history of Israel’s security,” Peres recounted. “The quick war [in 1967] amazed the world.”
The president said Israel had not been looking for war, but Arab leaders had promised to bring an end to Israel, and the IDF fought three wars in six days – against Egypt, Jordan and Syria.
“Those who wanted to defeat us were themselves defeated,” he said. “Here on Ammunition Hill was the battle on the first night of the war, where the historic echo that came from the prayers of our forefathers and our longing for redemption rose.”
The president spoke about 22 empires’ attempts to conquer Jerusalem over 4,000 years, burning its houses and taking down its strongholds.
“No other place in the world is like Jerusalem,” he said. “It is the cradle of the three main monotheistic religions.”
At the same time, he added, Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish people, a source of inspiration and identity throughout history.
Israel recognized and respected Jerusalem residents and visitors of all religions, protecting their holy places and granting them freedom of religion and worship, Peres said.
“Prayers from the Western Wall, the calls of the muezzin and church bells can all be heard without censorship,” the president said, but added that there was still violence in the Holy City.
“Jerusalem hopes for peace, and we must do everything to make it come true,” he said.
L
@ yamit82:
THE SAGE HAS SPOKEN. YOU HAVE HIS PERMISSION TO POST AWAY. SO START POSTING.
@ Laura:
Whomever this imaginery friend might be, he or she has as much right to post here as you do.
@ yamit82:
Our old friend who keeps posting here under various names.
babara Said:
I’m not a fan of BB but he is right here – no other Israeli PM in modern times has underscored the deep attachment of the Jewish people to Jerusalem. If I am given the choice of choosing between Jerusalem without peace and peace without Jerusalem, I prefer Jerusalem. A country won’t survive long without a soul. And the Arabs understand far better than most Jews, the deep power of symbolism. A country that does not cherish its roots won’t be for long in this world.
yamit82 Said:
Jerusalem is holy to one people – the Jewish people. It has peripheral significance to Islam. And while its mentioned over 800 times in the Hebrew Bible, its not mentioned once in the Koran.
@ yamit82:
@ yamit82:
Laura, Yamit is right. Just think.
How many times have we warned Ted not to leave the back door unlocked. The same critters sneak in with a different handle. The smell give them away.
No, it is not really the cradle of three monotheistic religions (and may it never be a place where any terrorist group is weaned and grows to maturity)! But it is a tremendous proof for all to see that Israel welcomes all who come in peace. Were all 3 religions welcome when Islam controlled Jerusalem? Were Jews or Christians welcomed for humanitarian purposes as they are now? Their true nature has been well exposed for all to see if they will but open their eyes. I suggest that Islam is not truly a religion – it is a mono-ideology, focused on one goal: rigid control of their subjects and the destruction of any and all non-Muslims. It’s strongly influenced by Satan himself as a tool in his battle to regain his position. Throughout history Jerusalem has been the focal point of Israel, and it must never be given away to such a movement. If the enemy forces appear to be formiddable, G-d himself will intercede to save His people. We are living in a day when Psalm 83 seems to be nearing its fulfillment. We must remain resolute in our determination to give our enemies no quarter and in our faith in the one true G-d of the ages.
@ Laura:
Who do you think babsie is Laura? Think
@ Catarin:
Post away, I’ve read two of his books but not the one you are reading. I will respond to his criticisms and theories when you post them.
@ yamit82:
Jerusalem is the source of two religions, Judaism and Christianity. Arabia is the source of Islam. The only connection Islam has to Jerusalem is that Muslims conquered it twice.
Also
Ultra Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn and New York City, who believe that the Internet could threaten their way of life, filled New York’s Citi Field Sunday for an unprecedented gathering on how to use modern technology in a religiously appropriate way.
Authorities in Brooklyn have formed a committee to determine if and how many cases of abuse in the Ultra Orthodox community are not reported to them by people who are urged or prevented by others from complaining.
In Stockholm, Sweden two women visited ten mosques and asked them what they should do about abusive husbands. Only one said they should follow Sweden’s laws. The others said, to one extent or another, don’t report abusive husbands.
I have almost finished reading the book, _The Bible and its Sources_, by scholar Richard Elliot Friedman, who has written many books about this subject. This book is Biblical criticism and not about theology. Should I post about it? I don’t want to offend others.
its not what bibi said what he does
@ babara:
Why should it surrender Jerusalem, Judaism’s holiest city, to genocidal enemies? And why would you foolishly believe that would be the end of the demands from the Jewish state’s enemies who oppose its existence within any borders? You are obviously one of those frightened, pathetic Jewish liberals who thinks genocidal antisemites can be appeased.
Israel is the capital of the Promised,Biblical and HOLY Land of JEWS and Holy Land of CHRISTIANS.It must never be given to the islamists terrorists who are now killing Christians around their lands and who have already done so against Jews since 1948.muslims must be expelled from Israel.
Israel is the capital of the Promised,Biblical and HOLY Land of JEWS and Holy Land of CHRISTIANS.It must never be given to the islamists terrorists who are now killing Christians around their lands and who have already done so against Jews since 1948.muslims must be expelled from the Israel.
@ ArnoldHarris:
Israel survived without Jerusalem. I am sure it could survive without it, if necessary.
@ yamit82:
Thank you for your intelligemt, mature, fully developed and comprehensive rejoinder.
I almost always come away learning an awful lot from your responses.
Keep up the good work.
False! This is a lie!!
… Just as an Israel without Shomron and Yehuda is like a body without a torso.
And with time, will come the realization that without Shomron and Yehuda, Jerusalem will have little or no national viability as Israel’s capital city. From 1948 until 1967, the Jewish national presence in Jerusalem was artificially maintained. That only changed with the liberation of all Shomron and Yehuda in June 1967. State annexation, followed by large-scale national development, is the only path toward geographic normalization of the State of Israel.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI