“Thus saith Hashem: I return unto Tzion and will dwell in the midst of Yerushalayim; and Yerushalayim shall be called the city of truth; and the mountain of Hashem of hosts the holy mountain.” Zechariah 8:3 (The Israel Bible™)
An aerial view of the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. (Andrew Shiva via Wikimedia Commons)
During a celebration for Jerusalem Day at the Israeli Knesset, marking the 50th anniversary of the capital city’s reunification, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed the Temple Mount and Western Wall would remain under Israeli sovereignty.
“The black cloud over Jerusalem disappeared 50 years ago,” said Netanyahu. “The Temple Mount and Western Wall will stay under Israeli sovereignty forever.”
The prime minister lauded the freedom of religion practiced in Jerusalem “only under our (Israeli) control.” From 1948-1967, Jordan controlled eastern Jerusalem.
Netanyahu also linked Jerusalem Day with this week’s terror attack in Manchester, U.K., which killed 22 people and injured as many as 59 during an Ariana Grande concert.
“Had the victims of the Manchester attack been killed in Jerusalem, the terrorist’s family would have received a big stipend from the Palestinian Authority,” he said, referring to an ongoing Palestinian Authority practice that Israel and the U.S. have sought to end.
“You cannot say that the despicable act in Manchester is forbidden, but that here in Jerusalem it is allowed,” said Netanyahu.
