When it comes to historic justice for the Jewish People, there is no room for a foreign narrative.
Jerusalem is one and it belongs only to the Jewish People. We must fight the American plan for the de facto division of the city.
Uri Zvi Greenberg, one of the greatest poets of the People of Israel during the generation of rebirth, already foresaw the narratives that would arise.
We are all familiar with the old joke about the rabbi who was confronted by the claims of two rivals. After weighing the matter for some time, the rabbi said “You are right and you are right too”, and when his wife the Rabbanit asked how it was possible that this was his ruling, he answered her, “You are also right”.
This is not the case with Jerusalem. There is one Jerusalem and it cannot be divided.
This is the historic justice for the Jewish People and there can be no other justice.
The entire People is united around the historic justice of the connection between the People of Israel and its eternal capital and there has been no difference in position on this issue since parts of the city were returned and became united in the miraculous and heroic Six Day War.
Jerusalem was one of the central battles in the War of Independence, because it is “the soul of the Land of Israel… otherwise, we would not be worthy of the name “the People of Israel”, in the words of Ben Gurion.
About one third of the fallen in the War of Independence fell in the battles around Jerusalem.
The longing and yearning for Jerusalem pass from generation to generation among the Jewish People.
The love for Jerusalem is etched into the Jewish People’s DNA with prayer, blessings, songs, in days of joy and in days of mourning.
The People of Israel’s longing for its capital caused many other peoples to desire her for themselves.
Jerusalem is a Song of Ascents for ascending and [rising ourselves] for all who seek to become closer to holiness.
Our ancestors wrote about the spiritual level connoted by each and every step of those who ascend to the Land of Israel and Jerusalem.
All peoples know of the spiritual uniqueness and power of Jerusalem, and indeed, these powers will continue to have a positive influence and provide light to the entire world, to all the peoples. But this great power will not come to be until the People of Israel fulfills its destiny from ancient times, to live in security in its Land, to build Jerusalem, physically and spiritually and from this wholeness, the light of Jerusalem will break forth and “Nations shall walk in thy light” (Isaiah 60:3).
We are still far from those days, and until those days arrive, we must remember the hidden and overt motives of the nations who say “'Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof' (Psalm 137:7), meaning, destroy the city down to its foundation.
We are now at the height of the battle for Jerusalem.
Using the excuse of concern for the safety of Jerusalem, Arab rioters rampaged in cities throughout the entire Land. This is how it was before the brutal wave of terror that swept the Land and led to Operation Defensive Shield.
The nations of the world have not come to terms with the rebuilding of Jerusalem and still have not internalized that the blessings and good will come to them precisely when Jerusalem will be under the exclusive and resolute sovereignty of the People of Israel.
Only then, can Jerusalem be a light to the world.
The dangerous idea promoted by the American administration to establish its consulate for the Palestinians in Jerusalem is a severe blow to the unity of the city under Israeli sovereignty.
The establishment of such a consulate with Israeli agreement would be incalculably serious.
Establishing such a consulate would turn Jerusalem into a capital for two peoples, Heaven forbid, and consent to a distorted equality between the Jewish and the Arab narratives.
The United States and Europe must understand this and we must provide a clear and unequivocal response: there are not two Jerusalems.
Jerusalem is the beating heart of the Jewish People. It is what sustains the body, the Land of Israel.
The empowerment of Jerusalem will happen, among other ways, by guarding the physical body of the People of Israel, as the late poet Uri Tzvi Greenberg put it: “He who controls the Mount, controls the Land”.
The national agreement over Jerusalem is broad and deep.
According to a poll that was done recently, 73% oppose establishing the consulate that the Biden administration plans to open in Jerusalem.
In order to implement all of this, in order to bring the light and blessing to the People of Israel and the entire world, we must move on to initiative - Jerusalem, the hills and cities surrounding it. It must be enlarged, it must be strengthened, expanded to deepen its spiritual and physical roots.
In recent weeks, we in the Sovereignty Movement, together with others for whom the love for Jerusalem and the Land of Israel burns within them, have been promoting the Greater Jerusalem initiative, to turn Jerusalem into a metropolis, spreading her arms westward, eastward, northward and southward. Ma’ale Adumim, Mevaserret Tzion, Giv’at Ze’ev, some of the towns of Binyamin and Gush Etzion must all be part of the metropolis of the Israeli capital.
If this initiative is implemented, it will remove the idea of dividing Jerusalem from the agenda held by those who seek to establish the American consulate for the Palestinians.
Ben Gurion, during his time, wrote about the unique connection between Gush Etzion and Jerusalem: If Hebrew Jerusalem exists, then the entire People of Israel’s primary gratitude goes, first and foremost, to the fighters of Gush Etzion”.
The demographic situation in the city is dangerous. There are 900,000 residents in the city, of whom about 40% are Arabs.
These numbers serve as a hasbara weapon for those who seek to divide the city. In order to undermine the demographic claim, we must quickly implement the Greater Jerusalem initiative, which will add hundreds of thousands of Jewish residents to the capital city.
Many people for many years have been speaking of this plan and now, they must unite and form the policy required to fortify Israel’s capital.
The Prime Minister, the Mayor of Jerusalem and the heads of councils in the vicinity of Jerusalem must recognize the magnitude of the hour and the magnitude of the task, to promote with all their power the implementation of the plan, in the spirit of many heads of councils, who say clearly and resolutely: Our entire goal is to defend Jerusalem, because eternity is Jerusalem.
We believe that there is no government in Israel that would dare, Heaven forbid, to touch Jerusalem or harm her unity, especially when it is a government with members of the center-right, led by a prime minister who says every day “May our eyes behold Your merciful return to Zion”.