These are the first words in Lamentations, the biblical compilation of sorrow over the destruction of Jerusalem. Today, Jerusalem is far from being destroyed. It is a vibrant metropolis of over 700,000 thousand inhabitants-Jews, Moslems and Christians. Yet, once again the Holy city finds itself under an offensive, this time not by Babylon or Rome, but by those who are out to quench the truth and erase historical justice. So, even if solitary, alone against numerous voices-let us not fringe.
The case for Jerusalem is clear from any number of angles. No city has ever been associated for so long with one people. Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish nation for over 3000 years, and the seat of Hebrew sovereignty until the Roman Empire conquered the kingdom of Judea. Yet, even in the quagmire of exile, Jerusalem never ceased to occupy a special place in the heart of our people. The 900 times its name appears in the Hebrew bible have multiplied over the centuries, every time a Jew uttered the words “next year in Jerusalem” and in every synagogue and temple whose ark faced the Holy city. Jerusalem’s holiness can’t be manipulated. Its sanctity is derived from a simple and undeniable fact- Solomon’s temple. No one denies its importance for Christians or Moslems, but can anyone erase its Jewish roots? Would it be holy if not for our legacy?
This truth can't be denied-had it not been a Holy place for the Jews, neither would it be so for Christians or Moslems.
In all its long history and certainly since the expansion outside the walls Jerusalem has always been one city. It was aggression which divided it, placing barb-wires in its midst. That anomaly which lasted for 19 years was nothing but a sorry and painful chapter in a 3000 year history.
For 19 years no Israeli citizen was allowed into the old city. Christians were not permitted to visit the holy places, Moslems could not enter the mosques and Jews were kept away from the Western wall. I still remember a school trip to our Capital. Our teacher took us to Mount Zion onto a veranda and stretched out his hand towards a place inside the walled city." There, he said, there among the ruins lie the last remnant of the Temple". For us children of 10 years, the Western wall became alive through the stretched hand of a teacher.
We don't remember an outcry. There were no calls to convene the Security Council….
Jerusalem has been, is and always will remain the Capital of the Jewish people. It was never the Capital of any other nation. Notwithstanding the malicious attempts of so many among the Palestinians to erase this irrefutable fact, their scheme will fail. Only a nation so certain of the justice of its cause can and will maintain the city open for all. History has entrusted us with a unique responsibility.
We, the descendants of those who lamented its destruction and others who sang her glory, will make sure that the city is built for the benefit of all its inhabitants and accessible to all people of all faiths.
For over 2 millennia, Jewish links to Jerusalem were never severed and for most of this time there has always been a Jewish presence in the city. These are historical facts. It is also a fact that throughout its history, the city was divided only once.