BICOM

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu marked the start of Jerusalem Day, which falls today, by emphasising the centrality of the city to Israel and the importance of its continuing unity.

Jerusalem Day marks the anniversary in the Hebrew calendar on which Jerusalem was reunified during the Six Day War in 1967, when Israeli forces captured the eastern part of the city, including the symbolic Old City. The day is marked by parades, ceremonies and celebrations around the country, while thousands flock to the Western Wall, part of the area captured from Jordan in 1967.

Netanyahu was speaking at the Mercaz Harav seminary during an event also attended by Israel’s Chief Rabbis, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and Jewish Home Ministers Naftali Bennett and Uri Ariel. Netanyahu said, “Jerusalem is Israel’s eternity, it is our heart, and we are guarding our heart – the heart of the nation. We will never divide our heart.” He added, “47 years ago, Jerusalem was reunified as a singular entity. That’s how it’s been and that’s how it will always be.”

The future of Jerusalem remains one of the central, core issues yet to be resolved in the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians, who claim the eastern part of the city as the capital of a future Palestinian state. Underscoring the sensitivities, Israeli police this morning clashed with rioters throwing rocks and stones on the Temple Mount, situated adjacent to the Western Wall.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, Jewish Home MK Yoni Cheitboun submitted a bill to make Jerusalem Day a vacation day in Israel. He said that the legislation was aimed at giving Jerusalem Day broader appeal, as it has become closely identified with the religious Zionist community in recent years. Cheitboun said that Jerusalem Day is “a significant event in the history of all of Israel, and this day cannot become sectorial,” adding that, “Turning it into a vacation day will give it the appropriate place in the Israeli experience.”