Rivlin: Make 'United Jerusalem' a Reality
Iyar 21, 5769, 15 May 09 12:59
by Maayana Miskin(IsraelNN.com) Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin believes that Israel must take action now in order to make “united Jerusalem” a reality, and not merely a slogan. “The flowery speeches about a complete, united city must not remain empty words,” he warned.
Rivlin spoke Thursday at a celebratory gathering in the “Jerusalem” hall in the Knesset, with city council members who are planning for the upcoming Jerusalem Day festivities. The meeting was also attended by Interior Minister Eli Yishai, Coalition head MK Ze'ev Elkin, and the heads of several Knesset factions.
In order to make Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem a reality, Israel must invest primarily in Arab neighborhoods in the eastern part of the capital, Rivlin said. “The city's unity relies on an understanding that we are the sovereign power, and it is our obligation to provide sufficient infrastructure for every part of the city.
"There is no room for discrimination against any one part of the city in favor of another,” Rivlin added.
Rivlin slammed the presence of Arab “refugee camps” within the municipal borders of Jerusalem. The “camps” -- actually neighborhoods with a developed infrastructure -- were established by Jordan during that country's 19-year rule in the eastern part of the city to house Arabs who fled other parts of pre-state Israel.
"There is no place for the continued existence of the refugee camps. At best, they perpetuate a problem, and give credit to the Palestinian claims of a right of return,” he said.
If Jerusalem were to be divided in any way, the entire state of Israel would be at risk, Rivlin warned. “If anyone were to give any part of this city away – G-d forbid -- they would cause the collapse [of] the moral basis for our sovereignty elsewhere in the land,” he explained.
Rivlin called on the government to provide financial aid to the city, arguing that problems in Jerusalem are not merely municipal issues, but rather, issues of national importance.
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