Jerusalem – The Knesset Plenum convened on Wednesday to mark the 50th anniversary of the Six Day War and the reunification of Jerusalem. Government officials and opposition leaders commemorated the fallen soldiers while also promoting their political agendas.
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“[Israel] saved Jerusalem from neglect and distress, and we developed it successfully to become a high point in all areas,” said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. “What used to be here in Jerusalem? We must tell the truth – Jerusalem, like the entire Land of Israel, was a marginal and desolate province in the Ottoman Empire.”
Netanyahu added that he views the Six Day War as a salvation and a story of historical justice despite some arguing the liberation of Jerusalem was prelude to a catastrophe. Jerusalem, to Netanyahu, is an oasis of peace and interfaith within a turbulent and uncompromising Middle East.
“Despite this, Jerusalem faces a paradox,” continued Netanyahu. “The more we continue to develop the city and preserve its unique character, the more the denial and lies regarding the connection of the Jewish people to its capital intensify.
“The Western Wall is our identity card and testament to who was here and what brought us back to our homeland. We will not return to a situation where we stand overlooking while being unable to access it. Maybe it will take some time but I have no doubt that this absurdity will fail because the truth is stronger than any lie,” Netanyahu concluded.
According to the Prime Minister, US President Donald Trump’s visit to the city on Tuesday and his statements about the ancient connection between the Jewish People and the Old City effectively countered the propaganda promoted by organizations including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization which has denied the Jewish connection to Jerusalem and Israeli sovereignty over the city. Netanyahu reiterated his call to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to entrench that position.
Opposition leader and Zionist Union MK Isaac Herzog also honored the reunification of Jerusalem and lauded the historical and cultural accomplishments of Jerusalem but warned that the city’s demographic and geographic trends could bring about the failure of the dream the Six-Day war fighters sacrificed for in 1967. He mentioned recent worrisome statistics on Jerusalem indicating a negative migration trend, lower matriculation rates compared to the national rates, a distinct socio-economic weakness and an Arab population growth two times bigger than its Jewish counterpart.
“We need to ask ourselves if the earthly Jerusalem is up to par with the Jerusalem of Gold,” stated Herzog. “Jerusalem is only unified on paper and the situation will only be resolved by resources and significant decision making, not by simply moving an embassy.”
“The only way to preserve a Jewish Jerusalem for a Jewish state is to materialize the vision of the two-state solution and to separate ourselves from as many Palestinians as possible,” he asserted. “Only by separating from [neighborhoods such as] Shuafat and Issawiya will we truly unify and conquer Jerusalem.”
Herzog added that Trump’s message about Palestinians’ and the Sunni world’s willingness to reach for peace constitutes an unprecedented opportunity and called on Netanyahu to “show true leadership” by grasping said opportunity. He claimed the Labor movement would stand behind Netanyahu as it did when former Prime Minister Menachem Begin negotiated a peace deal with Egypt in 1979.
Netanyahu answered that the only true obstacle to peace was the continued funding of the Palestinian Authority to the terrorists murdering Israelis.
The Knesset session was attended by President Reuven Rivlin, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, Supreme Court President Miriam Naor, and Knesset members.
2 idiots!