We have a right to build in our eternal capital'
By LAHAV HARKOV
11/02/2011 13:48
Netanyahu, Rivlin, Livni commemorate the memory of assassinated tourism minister Rehavam Zeevi in the Knesset; MK Eldad slams other speakers for not addressing Ze'evi's view that "Zionism is an ideology of transfer."
Talkbacks (33)
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu emphasized Israels right to build and expand an undivided Jerusalem during a ceremony on Wednesday in memory of former tourism minister Rehavam Gandhi Zeevi, who was assassinated ten years ago.
Speaking in the Knessets plenum, Netanyahu explained that Zeevis life began in Jerusalem and ended in Jerusalem. That was Gandhi a man of Jerusalem.
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All who love Jerusalem should learn from Gandhi, Netanyahu said. We must protect its unity, stop those who try to rewrite its history, and remind the world over and over again that Jerusalem was never the capital of any other nation.
Over thousands of years in exile, the Jewish people prayed to return to Jerusalem, the prime minister recounted, quoting the Psalm: If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my right hand whither.
Netanyahu called on Israel to always remember that the work of strengthening and developing Jerusalem will never end. This is our historical and national responsibility.
The prime ministers comments came the day after he announced that there would be increased construction in east Jerusalem the West Bank, a move widely seen as the governments reaction to the Palestinian Authoritys acceptance to UN cultural body UNESCO.
We have the right to build in our eternal capital, he asserted. It is our privilege and responsibility for this generation and the next not as punishment, but as a basic right.
Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin and opposition leader MK Tzipi Livni emphasized Zeevis leadership.
There are special people to whom the usual clichés dont apply. They test our norms; they never compromise, Rivlin said. Rehavam Zeevi is one of those people.
He expressed unpopular opinions and symbolized the extreme end of the political map, demanding that anyone who spoke to him would be faithful to the truth. He only feared hypocrites, opportunists and those lacking a spine, the Knesset Speaker explained.
Rivlin told MKs that any of us can find ourselves one day at the extreme end of the political conversation, alone and constantly criticized. However, not all of us would stick to the truth the way Gandhi did. Many of us would prefer to remain silent, because the political price is too high.
Gandhi represented the type of leadership that we dont see today, Livni said. He led according to his beliefs, and did not change according to the publics mood and trends.
We need leadership that makes decisions for the good of the peoples future, she added. Gandhi said he puts the moledet [homeland] before Moledet, the political party.
When we all understand that the homeland comes before Likud and Kadima and Meretz and Shas and all the others, then the publics faith in politics will return, Livni stated.
MK Arye Eldad (National Union), a member of the Moledet party at the time of Zeevis assassination, criticized those who spoke before him for not mentioning his political views.
Eldad quoted various interviews with Zeevi, mentioning that the tourism minister believed that Arabia is the land of Arabs, Judea is the land of the Jews, and Zionism is an ideology of transfer.
Gandhi saw the establishment of a Palestinian state as gambling our existence, the National Union MK explained. There is only one solution: A Jewish State to the west of the Jordan River, a Palestinian state to the east.
In light of the Arab Spring, Eldad said that Zeevis vision is more realistic than ever. The Jewish State should be ready to free itself of the diplomatic dead-end it is stuck in.
He also pointed out that Zeevi wore dog-tags with the names of all missing and captive IDF soldiers, as well as Jonathan Pollard.
It would be a fulfillment of Gandhis legacy to bring Pollard home, Eldad concluded.
Also on Wednesday, Rivlin and Netanyahu were presented with a new stamp dedicated by the Philatelic Service in Zeevis honor.
Zeevi was a Palmah fighter and IDF major-general who founded the Moledet party, which was known for advocating a transfer of Palestinians out of Israel.
He was shot and killed at the Jerusalem Hyatt hotel in 2001 by gunmen from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
By LAHAV HARKOV
11/02/2011 13:48
Netanyahu, Rivlin, Livni commemorate the memory of assassinated tourism minister Rehavam Zeevi in the Knesset; MK Eldad slams other speakers for not addressing Ze'evi's view that "Zionism is an ideology of transfer."
Talkbacks (33)
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu emphasized Israels right to build and expand an undivided Jerusalem during a ceremony on Wednesday in memory of former tourism minister Rehavam Gandhi Zeevi, who was assassinated ten years ago.
Speaking in the Knessets plenum, Netanyahu explained that Zeevis life began in Jerusalem and ended in Jerusalem. That was Gandhi a man of Jerusalem.
RELATED:
Israel to speed up W. Bank building, after UNESCO vote
Zeevi knew when to use force, Netanyahu tells memorial
All who love Jerusalem should learn from Gandhi, Netanyahu said. We must protect its unity, stop those who try to rewrite its history, and remind the world over and over again that Jerusalem was never the capital of any other nation.
Over thousands of years in exile, the Jewish people prayed to return to Jerusalem, the prime minister recounted, quoting the Psalm: If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, may my right hand whither.
Netanyahu called on Israel to always remember that the work of strengthening and developing Jerusalem will never end. This is our historical and national responsibility.
The prime ministers comments came the day after he announced that there would be increased construction in east Jerusalem the West Bank, a move widely seen as the governments reaction to the Palestinian Authoritys acceptance to UN cultural body UNESCO.
We have the right to build in our eternal capital, he asserted. It is our privilege and responsibility for this generation and the next not as punishment, but as a basic right.
Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin and opposition leader MK Tzipi Livni emphasized Zeevis leadership.
There are special people to whom the usual clichés dont apply. They test our norms; they never compromise, Rivlin said. Rehavam Zeevi is one of those people.
He expressed unpopular opinions and symbolized the extreme end of the political map, demanding that anyone who spoke to him would be faithful to the truth. He only feared hypocrites, opportunists and those lacking a spine, the Knesset Speaker explained.
Rivlin told MKs that any of us can find ourselves one day at the extreme end of the political conversation, alone and constantly criticized. However, not all of us would stick to the truth the way Gandhi did. Many of us would prefer to remain silent, because the political price is too high.
Gandhi represented the type of leadership that we dont see today, Livni said. He led according to his beliefs, and did not change according to the publics mood and trends.
We need leadership that makes decisions for the good of the peoples future, she added. Gandhi said he puts the moledet [homeland] before Moledet, the political party.
When we all understand that the homeland comes before Likud and Kadima and Meretz and Shas and all the others, then the publics faith in politics will return, Livni stated.
MK Arye Eldad (National Union), a member of the Moledet party at the time of Zeevis assassination, criticized those who spoke before him for not mentioning his political views.
Eldad quoted various interviews with Zeevi, mentioning that the tourism minister believed that Arabia is the land of Arabs, Judea is the land of the Jews, and Zionism is an ideology of transfer.
Gandhi saw the establishment of a Palestinian state as gambling our existence, the National Union MK explained. There is only one solution: A Jewish State to the west of the Jordan River, a Palestinian state to the east.
In light of the Arab Spring, Eldad said that Zeevis vision is more realistic than ever. The Jewish State should be ready to free itself of the diplomatic dead-end it is stuck in.
He also pointed out that Zeevi wore dog-tags with the names of all missing and captive IDF soldiers, as well as Jonathan Pollard.
It would be a fulfillment of Gandhis legacy to bring Pollard home, Eldad concluded.
Also on Wednesday, Rivlin and Netanyahu were presented with a new stamp dedicated by the Philatelic Service in Zeevis honor.
Zeevi was a Palmah fighter and IDF major-general who founded the Moledet party, which was known for advocating a transfer of Palestinians out of Israel.
He was shot and killed at the Jerusalem Hyatt hotel in 2001 by gunmen from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
