Tzipi Hotovely
Tzipi HotovelyForeign Ministry Spokesman

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely spoke at the International annual Conference for Rabbis and community leaders in the Diaspora organised by the World Zionist Organization's [WZO] Department for Religious Affairs Monday, where she told the rabbis in attendance that the recent anti-Israel resolution passed by the UN Security Council would only cause more Jews to make their homes in Judea and Samaria.

According to Hotovely, the Security Council is a catalyst for the increased Jewish population in Judea and Samaria. "A resolution similar to the one from last week was made in 1980, and from then about half a million settlers have since been added to Judea and Samaria."

Hotovely added that she believes that the US embassy will be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem this year. "I hope this historic process will lead to the transfer of additional missions to the capital of the Jewish people and change the absurd situation in which all foreign missions are located in Tel Aviv."

Addressing the BDS movement against Israel, she said that while there have been "many conferences dealing in anti-Semitism and boycotts, the boycott movement is now on the defensive and it has failed miserably. Foreign investment in Israel has doubled since it began operations."

She also addressed the issues of assimilation and Jewish identity. "At a time when there is a lot of assimilation, it is important to emphasize Jewish identity. In the words of Rabbi Steinsaltz, 'we have fought over who is a Jew. We need to ask, what is a Jew?'" she said.