The Religious Zionism party is due to convene on Monday, Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day), in a festive meeting, during which several highly contemporary issues are to be discussed, including the government’s seeming inability, or alternatively, lack of resolve to exert control over the areas of Jerusalem that are situated beyond the Green Line.
Following the meeting, the party members plan to tour the Shimon Hatzaddik neighborhood (also known as Sheikh Jarrah).
During the discussions, the party’s members will examine various issues, aided by short presentations given by researchers and experts in the area of sovereignty over Jerusalem.
Issues on the agenda include: activities of the Palestinian Authority and other foreign entities in Jerusalem; strategic building by Israelis and Arab; territorial contiguity; city planning in Jerusalem; reclaiming of properties; any relevant Palestinian Authority laws; Arab neighborhoods beyond the city limits; and the various actions taken by the Israeli authorities to promote integration and practical unification of the city.
At the conclusion of their meeting, the party members will sign onto a draft proposal related to the imposition of practical sovereignty over Jerusalem, which will be published in due course. They will then embark on a tour of the Shimon Hatzaddik neighborhood, a flashpoint for violence in past weeks due to an impending ruling from the Supreme Court on the possible eviction of a number of Arab families from homes they have occupied for decades. Their homes are allegedly situated on land that was owned by Jews prior to the War of Independence, meaning that if the title deeds are confirmed, the Jews, or their descendants, can reclaim the properties.
Party head MK Bezalel Smotrich stated: “I believe in gaining an in-depth understanding of the issues involved, and therefore now, around the time of Yom Yerushalayim, we have decided to dedicated an entire day to researching these issues, especially at the present time, when certain elements have decided to turn their backs on the National camp.”
Smotrich continued, quoting A. Tz. Greenberg, who said that, “’Whoever controls the heights, controls the entire land.’ And this is even more true when it comes to the question of Jerusalem, which will remain on our agenda until it is resolved, and ‘Jerusalem is built as a city in which the entire Jewish People is joined together,’” he added, quoting Psalms. “No politician should be able to risk the unity of the city.”
Party member MK Michal Waldiger noted that, “I was born into a reality in which our capital city is Jerusalem, a unified Jerusalem. Our task now is to protect it as such, and to guarantee its security for all its residents. Especially in light of recent events, it is so important to hold this day of discussion, followed by a tour of the city that unites all of us.”
Party chairperson MK Orit Struck added that, “The principle of a unified Jerusalem faces many challenges today from a variety of angles, by a variety of elements. We are here in order to ensure that this principle should not remain an empty slogan, and should also not be abandoned due to issues of convenience or frank submission.”