Jerusalem Day Commemorated, Riots on Temple Mount

Israel_smallerTuesday night into Wednesday marked “Jerusalem Day,” a national holiday commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 during the Six Day Way and the establishment of Jerusalem’s Old City Quarter. Residents of Jerusalem and from all across Israel gathered in the nation’s capitol to celebrate the city’s 47 years of unity.

The national holiday is celebrated with parties, festivals and parades. Memorial services are also held for the fallen during the Six Day War and fight for a united Jerusalem.

Speaking at the Merkaz Harav Yeshiva where a terrorist attack was carried out in 2008 killing eight and injuring eighteen, Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke of Jerusalem Day, and the promise that Israel’s capitol city will never be divided.

The prime minister stated in his speech, “47 years ago Jerusalem was united. That is how it always was. And this is how it will always be…We are safeguarding our heart, the nation’s heart, and we will never divide our heart. Never! Because it is the nation’s heart it must be connected to Israel’s eternal future.”

He referred to Rabbi Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Jewish State (Palestine), stating, “Rabbi Kook believed that Zionism can not be disconnected from Judaism. He believed that nationalism alone, without a connection to the eternal wells of Judaism, would not allow for the justification Israel’s existence or foster the unity needed for its existence.Without spirit there is no material, without Torah there is no salt.

Amidst celebrations for Jerusalem Day, riots broke out on the Temple Mount when masked Arab youth began throwing stones at Israeli security forces. The youth hid inside of the Al-Aqsa Mosque to avoid arrest. Small riots and protests occurred in protest through out Jerusalem, mainly in the Old City. No injuries were reported.

AmirTsarfatiAmir Tsarfati is the founder and president of Behold Israel, a news site to correct the scarcity in trustworthy reportage on issues and events impacting Israel, and to resolve the uncertainty about who or what to believe.

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