Following are Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's remarks at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting in honor of Jerusalem Day, today (Sunday, 29 May 2022):

 

"Happy Jerusalem Day. Fifty-five years ago, IDF soldiers liberated the Old City and unified Jerusalem. This was an event that also united the entire nation.

 

“During the day there will be many events to mark Jerusalem Day, including the traditional flag parade that will proceed along the regular route.

 

“Flying the Israeli flag in the capital of Israel is self-evident; therefore, we have been crystal clear on the subject from the outset. I request that the participants celebrate responsibly and in a respectful manner. From here, on behalf of the ministers in the Government of Israel, I would like to thank the Israel Police for securing all of the events.

 

“Today we are submitting a series of decisions worth over NIS 1 billion to develop the city of Jerusalem. The government will soon approve a five-year plan that will focus on economic development, investment in academia, strengthening Jerusalem as a center for tourism, and employment in the city, alongside plans to develop and build roads, remove trash and increase energy efficiency and investment in the City of David, which is a heritage site of the highest order. I would like to take this opportunity to recommend all citizens of Israel to go over there and visit and see where it all began. 

 

“Today, the Government of Israel will raise Jerusalem above its highest joy – in actions and in reality-changing decisions. I am proud of this and would like to thank my government colleagues, especially Minister Ze'ev Elkin, for this important activity.

 

“Today we are marking the memorial day for members of the Ethiopian community who did not succeed in making aliyah to the land of Israel. We lost thousands of Jews along the way – fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters – in a difficult journey toward Jerusalem. Today we remember the fallen.

 

“On another matter, last week we again saw that instead of improving the lives of the Iranian people, the regime in Tehran chooses tyranny, terror and lies. Last week masses of Iranian people went out into the streets of Abadan and other places in Iran to demonstrate against the tyranny of the regime. In response, Iranian forces shot at Iranian civilians. In many places in Iran at the moment it is difficult to acquire water and bread at a reasonable price. Iran invests in terror – like the underground UAV base they showcased recently.

 

“Iran has also been investing in lies such as its deliberate misleading of the IAEA in order to evade visits by the agency, as was revealed last week. The Iranian regime is based on tyranny, terror and lies.

 

“The world must stand alongside the Iranian people and stand up against the brutal regime. For many years, the Iranian regime has carried out terrorism against Israel and the region via proxies but for some reason the head of the octopus – Iran itself – has enjoyed immunity. As we have said more than once, the era of immunity for the Iranian regime is over. Those who finance terrorists, those who arm terrorists, and those who send terrorists – will pay the full price.”