Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely toured the Old City of Jerusalem Thursday along with the three paratroopers featured in the late world-famous photographer David Rubinger’s iconic photograph taken at the Western Wall immediately after its liberation during the Six Day War in June 1967.
Paratroopers Dr. Yitzhak Yifat, Tzion Karasenti and Chaim Oshri retraced the steps they walked 50 years ago from the Lion's Gate until their fateful encounter with the 2,000 year old stones of the Western Wall.
The tour took place as part of the Jubilee celebrations in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Six Day War and the reunification of Jerusalem, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hotovely.
The paratroopers gave Hotovely a copy of the famous photograph signed by all three of them.
Foreign students from around the world studying in Israel at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herziliya and at Hebrew University were invited to participate in the tour. Tzion Karasenti told the students that that the moment they reached the Western Wall in 1967 was the moment when the beating heart of the State of Israel was restored.
Deputy Foreign Minister Hotovely said that "the longing to reach the Western Wall, and the tears of the paratroopers who returned to the Western Wall after 2,000 years of prayer, are the best answer to those who are trying to sever the deep connection between the Jewish people and their capital."
"We are celebrating a great period," she added. "The unification of the city under Israeli sovereignty was the moment when every person of every religion could walk in Jerusalem. Our duty to liberate the city is to preserve a united Jerusalem and to strengthen its status so that the world recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel."