The heads and representatives of organizations of lovers of Jerusalem call on the Israeli government to stand up to American pressure and make clear: We will not allow the city to be divided. Jerusalem is not for sale!
The representatives of about twenty organizations of people who love the Land of Israel and Jerusalem joined the Sovereignty Movement and gathered on Agron Street in Jerusalem (Wednesday, October 27th) to protest against the American demand to open a consulate for the PA in the heart of Jerusalem, a move that is nothing but an expression of Washington’s endeavors to divide the Land and establish a Palestinian state.
Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar, the Sovereignty Movement: How can Biden call himself a “friend of Israel” when he crushes the will of the overwhelming majority of Israelis and of all the Israeli governments?
Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar, the co-chairwomen of the Sovereignty Movement and the initiators of the rally, opened the event: In your honor, Jerusalem, we have gathered here this evening, to swear allegiance to you. To tell you once more: If I forget thee, Jerusalem, may my right hand lose its skill. We, your People Israel, the representatives of twenty organizations representing hundreds of thousands of Land of Israel lovers, are here on the first rally in a series – without politicians for now – they will work for Jerusalem in the Knesset and in the government.
Ever since the change of administration in the U.S. a new sort of music is heard from there. Discordant music, such as the need to establish an American consulate for the Palestinians in Jerusalem. Why?
Why is there a need for a Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem? There is already an embassy that serves both Jews and Arabs. Why was a Palestinian consulate given as one of President Biden’s election promises?
Why does Blinken, the American Secretary of State, declare that he will continue to work toward the establishment of a consulate, despite Israel’s opposition?
The answer to all of these questions is one thing and it is disturbing and infuriating: President Biden committed himself to solve the conflict by the 2-states solution. This entails the effort to divide Jerusalem and establish a Palestinian state. And this is not done in secret, not underground, but overtly!
The Biden administration is pushing for this, despite the fact that this plan will not solve anything. On the Contrary! I will threaten Israel’s very existence! The Biden administration is pushing for this and even threatens to impose it upon Israel, despite the fact that he knows that Israel has a large democratic majority against dividing Jerusalem and against establishing a Palestinian state. How can the Biden administration call itself a “friend of Israel” when it brutally crushes under its heel the will of Israeli governments and the People in Israel and the sovereignty of Israel?
For now, the government is withstanding the pressure, Minister Gideon Sa’ar has rejected the idea outright. The Prime Minister also opposes it and has requested to postpone dealing with it until after the budget has passed. And the truth is that the United States cannot open the consulate as long as Israel doesn’t approve it. Therefore, a clear and unambiguous statement must be heard from the Israeli government.
We, the representatives here of dozens of organizations, appeal to the Prime Minister: Mr. Prime Minister, we ask you for a clear statement! A political declaration that unequivocal: Say and do everything in your power so that a Palestinian consulate will not be established in Jerusalem. This is how your government will be judged!
And to the threats from the Biden administration or any other body, there is only one answer: To convey, with words but also with deeds, that united Jerusalem is the capital of Israel – we call on the government of Israel: Now is the time to build in Atarot, in E1, in Har Homa; now is the time to increase our holding in the Shimon Hatzadik neighborhood and bring in dozens more Jewish families, now is the time to expand Jerusalem and turn it into a metropolis!
Mr. Prime Minister – listen to the clear statement made by another prime minister – Yitzhak Rabin at the celebration of Jerusalem after 40 years: “We differ in our opinions between Right and Left. We have disputes over methods and goals. But I believe that we have no argument over one issue: the integrity of Jerusalem and that it shall continue to be the touchstone and basis, as the capital of the State of Israel. I said it yesterday, and I will repeat it today: There are not two Jerusalems. There is only one Jerusalem! From our point of view, Jerusalem is not a subject for compromise, Jerusalem was ours, it shall be ours, it is ours and will be ours forever.
Atty. Amihai Boaron: A divorce decree to the Right
Atty. Amihai Boaron, chairman of the Lavi movement: “There are anti-Israeli people in the U.S. State Department such as Hadi Amr, a pro-Palestinian Lebanese, who are a bad omen for the People of Israel and the State of Israel. When the Defense Minister declared that six Palestinian organizations with connections to the Popular Front are supporters of terror , the State Department complained that Israel did not report this to them in advance. They claimed this as well when Israel wanted to approve 3000 housing units in Judea and Samaria”.
The State of Israel rejected the American criticism. Now, the third decree to establish an American consulate for the Palestinians will be a thorn in the heart of Jerusalem. We call on Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked; they will tell you that this is an old consulate but this is not true. Since the establishment of the embassy, the consulate was not here. They will say that it is an election promise but Naftali knows that election promises can be broken…”
“We tell you, Bennet and Shaked, be strong, as you were the two previous times. Don’t give them the approval to establish an American consulate for the Palestinians in the heart of Jerusalem. If you allow them to open a consulate here it will be a divorce decree to the Right”!
In English, Boaron spoke directly to people in the Biden administration, declaring that “There will be war over Jerusalem. During the entire time in exile, the People of Israel never ceased dreaming of Jerusalem, therefore, the People of Israel calls on President Biden: Do not touch our Jerusalem!”
Atty. Marc Zell: Jerusalem is not for sale
In his remarks, head of the Republican Party in Israel, Atty. Marc Zell, mentioned the many efforts that have been made to keep promises made by U.S. presidents to move the American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
“I am not here as a Republican. It is not a political dispute. I am here to convey a message to the people in the U.S. and the entire world: Jerusalem is not on the negotiating table. Jerusalem is not for sale”!
Atty. Zell mentioned the American law that views Jerusalem as the united capital of Israel, and rejected the attempts to present the opening of a consulate as simply a symbolic act. In his words, “We have work to do. We must convey a clear message to our brothers and sisters in the U.S. We must say aloud and clearly that Jerusalem is not under discussion and not on the negotiating table”.
Atty. Nili Nauori : Jerusalem belongs to the Jewish People forever
Atty. Nili Naouri, chairwoman of Israel Forever: “Before the signing ceremony for the peace agreement in Camp David, Carter told Begin that he wants to add one more, small clause on the status of Jerusalem. Begin asked for five minutes to pack up and leave”.
“We don’t talk about the status of Jerusalem because we don’t surrender the heart of the Jewish People”, he declared. “A Prime Minister cannot surrender Jerusalem because Jerusalem belongs to our forefathers, who dreamed of Jerusalem and swore, “If I forget thee, Jerusalem, may my right hand lose its cunning” and even for the future descendants who have not yet been born; it belongs to every Jew in the diaspora who has not yet come to her. No one has the mandate to surrender her”.
“There are those who turn nostalgically to Oslo, to Washington in weakness and to Ramallah with an attitude of fear and surrender. In Washington they say that they will open the consulate even without Israeli consent and in Ramallah they see the consulate as the seed of the embassy that will arise in the future Palestinian state. The goal is clear – to establish a terror state within our borders and Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine, G-d forbid. We are here to say that a Palestinian state shall not ever arise and that Jerusalem shall never be divided. The Jewish People is the sole sovereign in the Land of Israel and in Jerusalem, its capital”.
Bennett has folded on the matter of settlement and he will also fold in the matter of the consulate, unless the entire Jewish People take to the streets and shout that he must not allow it, because there can be no surrender of Jerusalem”.
Ofer Berkovitz, chairman of Hitorerut, Jerusalem City Council: Israel’s sovereignty in Jerusalem must not be violated
Ofer Berkowitz, chairman of the Hitorerut movement in the Jerusalem City Council: “I identify with the resolute opposition to the establishment of a consulate for the Palestinians. This is one and only one sovereign state here and it is the State of Israel”.
“Jerusalem is one, united and whole, and cares for all of its residents. We are guarding the future of the city, its assets, we are developing it and taking care of everyone’s needs, and no one, even the Americans, can dictate any violation of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem”.
“We believe that we are doing good work and that we must build Jerusalem in all of its parts for the good of all sectors of the public in it. We want to build in Atarot and tomorrow there will be a proposal to establish a new neighborhood with 10,000 housing units. In Jerusalem, we build to assure the city’s Zionist future”.
Meir Deutsch, Regavim: They are building the infrastructure of a state.
Meir Deutsch, Chairman of Regavim, mentioned and cautioned: “The State of Israel was not established in ’48, but in the forty years previous to it. It was established by acquiring land, paving roads, building schools. In the past decade the PA has been building a state, whether we want it or not, this is what is happening on the ground”.
“It is not pleasant to acknowledge this, but if we do not wake up quickly, we will discover that every road they pave and every school they build they are roads and schools in the Palestinian state. All the building of thousands of structures will be towns in the Palestinian state. If we do not wake up, where they are building a consulate will be the capital of the Palestinian state. We will not allow this to happen”.
Aryeh King, deputy Mayor of Jerusalem: Spitting in Israel’s face
Aryeh King, Deputy Mayor of the City of Jerusalem; “Those who are building a mission for our enemy define themselves as our friends. The Arabs, who challenge over our existence and live in Judea and Samaria are a worse strategic threat than the Iranian or Syrian threat”.
“In the City Council there is an almost unanimous agreement, in the coalition and the opposition, except for a few representatives of Meretz, against opening the consulate for the terrorist Palestinian Authority. We must all think of how we can block this idea of the Americans. Speak on the American social networks, write, get interviewed without letting up, every place you can”.
“This house, which belongs to the greatest of Israel’s friends, would become a house belonging to the greatest of Israel’s enemies. The American ambassador would host representatives of the terrorist authority in the heart of the Israeli capital. Everyone must think of how he can stop this. The task is incumbent on all of us to exert pressure on the Americans to stop abusing their closest friend. We allow them a bases for radar base and more; we give them many benefits and the time has come for them to pay us back for these benefits. There is no way we can accept how the Americans are spitting in Israel’s face”.
Yotam Eyal, CEO of the Legal Forum: It all depends on Israel’s will
Yotam Eyal, CEO of the Legal Forum, mentioned the efforts of Rav Hanan Porat and Rav Menahem Porush vis-à-vis Yitzhak Rabin to prevent the transferal of Rachel’s tomb in the framework of the Oslo Accords. “Like Rachel’s Tomb, Jerusalem is not a matter of Right or Left. Jerusalem belongs to the Jewish People and it is forbidden to surrender any part of it”.
“Any concession to establish a consulate in the center of Jerusalem for the Palestinians is the beginning of the surrender of city and loss of sovereignty there. This is the first step on the way. There is no justification for the establishment of a consulate in the city. The U.S. is our great friend but no country has the right to impose upon another state to establish a consulate”.
For the past two years, there has been no consulate here and the desire to establish a consulate here does not even stand up to the test of international law and custom between states. We must fight against this step in every possible way, in the media and in the courts. I call on the government of Israel not to surrender. If you do not want it, the American noise will not be effective and the consulate will not arise”.
Haim silberstein, If I Forget Thee: Bad for Israel, against the law and bad for the U.S.
The chairman of If I forget Thee, Haim Silberstein, stated in his remarks that “the opening of a consulate is bad for Israel. It is against the Basic Law of Jerusalem. It is also against international law and it is forbidden to establish a consulate without the consent of the local government. It is also against American law, which recognizes Jerusalem as united”.
I say to the Biden administration that this will be bad for the U.S. and not only for Israel. Do you want to harm your best friend in the Middle East? Will that be good for the U.S? It will only make peace more distant because it will strengthen the will to realize the vision of establishing a Palestinian state through battle. Establishing a consulate in western Jerusalem would also encourage terror in the U.S. since it will be proof that the U.S. can be subject to pressure. Let’s keep Jerusalem united”.
Maor Tsemach, For You Jerusalem: The Biden administration is cut off from reality
Maor Tzemah, chairman of For You, Jerusalem: “As a veteran of the Oslo Battles, it is difficult for me to believe that we again must fight for Jerusalem. This brings me back 25 years to the struggles against the division of Jerusalem. Everyone must feel that this is a battle for the home, for the future and for our history”.
The re-opening of a consulate in Jerusalem for the PA would be a great political achievement for the PA and recognition of the division of the city. We must not allow this to happen. Opening a consulate symbolizes Biden’s objection to the unity of the Jerusalem. I call on the Prime Minister to wake up”.
“There is no place in the world where one state has two diplomatic embassies that are supposed to represent various sectors. This will also not happen in Jerusalem either. The Biden administration is cut off from reality. I remind the Americans of what we experienced here in Jerusalem. The terror does not end in Jerusalem. When we give up and show weakness, terror raises its head. Opening a consulate would broadcast military and political weakness; terror would not stop in Jerusalem; it would also come to the streets of New York and Washington”.
“The government of Israel does not present a clear voice. Bennet is silent, Lapid presses and Mansour Abbas is for the opening. United Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty, this is the sound that the Israeli government must make”.
Matan Peleg, im Tirtzu: We will not be forced to accept a Trojan horse
Matan Peleg, chairman of Im Tirzu: “Since the establishment of the State of Israel, there has not been any situation where a state has forced us to establish a consulate for a population that is not ours. This is a disgrace for the U.S., especially because our friend is doing it”.
If it is important to them to have a consulate, they should do it in Ramallah, Nablus or Jenin, not in the eternal capital of the Jewish People. The Jewish People loves the U.S. but if they continue to force this Trojan Horse upon us, we will not be friends”.