President Rivlin met Tuesday with the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend and Right Honorable Justin Welby.
Rivlin warmly welcomed the Archbishop and spoke of the importance of his visit to the Holy Land. He said, “Israel is the only country in the Middle East where the Christian community is flourishing. And Israel is committed to the values of freedom of religion for all people of faith. This is our value and our duty as a Jewish-Democratic state.
Rivlin also referred to the criticisms voiced by Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan and said that “We have heard voices which attack Israel for building Jewish life in Jerusalem - for the last 150 years there has been a Jewish majority in Jerusalem, even under the Ottoman Empire.”
“Jerusalem is a microcosm of our ability to live together. And we will continue to ensure freedom of religion for all faiths.”