Elkin at Christian Media Summit
Elkin at Christian Media SummitPR

Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Zeev Elkin (Likud) addressed some 200 Christian journalists as the Christian Media Summit began its second day in Jerusalem on Monday.

The four-day event was kicked off Sunday with a keynote address by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

In his speech, Netanyahu warned of the growing threat from Iranian hegemony in the Middle East and efforts by Tehran to acquire atomic weapons.

The Prime Minister also praised President Donald Trump’s efforts to rein in Iran’s attempts to obtain nuclear weapons.

On Monday, Minister Elkin addressed the summit, highlighting the efforts by international organizations to delegitimize Israel and erase the ancient Jewish connection to Jerusalem.

“The unbreakable bond of Jerusalem to the history of Israel is even more challenging these days as ignorant and even nefarious international organizations attempt to undermine this bond,” said Elkin, a thinly veiled reference to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) resolutions over the past year denying or diminishing Israel’s historic and cultural ties to its capital and denouncing the Jewish presence in Jerusalem as an “occupation”.

“Just by strolling through the beautiful streets and alleyways of the city, by touching both the ancient stones and observing the modern architecture,” Elkin said ahead of the summit, “can one understand the deep bond between Jerusalem, Judaism and Israel, as well as the tolerance for all major religions. Jerusalem is the ideal place to host this summit, as a model for tolerance and dialogue.”