President Moshe Katzav, speaking last night at Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav Kook\'s traditional Jerusalem Day celebration, said that no government has the right to cede the holy sites in Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount. He repeated this several times, while emphasizing that there is and will always be full freedom for worshippers of all religions to pray at these holy sites.
MK Rabbi Chaim Druckman (National Religious Party) at the same forum, referring to his preferred strategy for the current conflict: \"Let us speak straightforwardly: We must smash them - just as the IDF began to do at the end of last week. We must hit them so strongly that they come to us begging for a ceasefire! Not like the humiliations of the past eight months, where we ask them nicely over and over for a ceasefire. Let them ask us for a ceasefire - as was the case in all of Israel\'s other wars!\"
Jerusalem Affairs Minister Eli Suissa (Shas) at the same forum: \"...Jerusalem with G-d\'s help will continue to grow in all directions - mostly to the east (applause), towards the only side that it has not yet expanded. Our Sages have taught us that in the future, Jerusalem will extend all the way to Damascus. Which way leads to Damascus? Through Tel Aviv?! Of course not, it will have to be through the east… (laughter and applause)\"
Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert, speaking to reporters in Jerusalem: \"I can tell you that I am convinced that most of the Arabs in eastern Jerusalem want a united city. Of course, they won\'t tell you this in front of microphones, but they say it in their daily behavior. They are never a party to any action that disturbs the peace here in the city; we all know that those who come to disrupt the daily routine come from the outside... I see this as a true expression of what they are thinking. They don\'t want Arafat, they don\'t want Feisal Husseini - they want to live in this city with equality, and it is our job to create this reality.\"
MK Rabbi Chaim Druckman (National Religious Party) at the same forum, referring to his preferred strategy for the current conflict: \"Let us speak straightforwardly: We must smash them - just as the IDF began to do at the end of last week. We must hit them so strongly that they come to us begging for a ceasefire! Not like the humiliations of the past eight months, where we ask them nicely over and over for a ceasefire. Let them ask us for a ceasefire - as was the case in all of Israel\'s other wars!\"
Jerusalem Affairs Minister Eli Suissa (Shas) at the same forum: \"...Jerusalem with G-d\'s help will continue to grow in all directions - mostly to the east (applause), towards the only side that it has not yet expanded. Our Sages have taught us that in the future, Jerusalem will extend all the way to Damascus. Which way leads to Damascus? Through Tel Aviv?! Of course not, it will have to be through the east… (laughter and applause)\"
Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert, speaking to reporters in Jerusalem: \"I can tell you that I am convinced that most of the Arabs in eastern Jerusalem want a united city. Of course, they won\'t tell you this in front of microphones, but they say it in their daily behavior. They are never a party to any action that disturbs the peace here in the city; we all know that those who come to disrupt the daily routine come from the outside... I see this as a true expression of what they are thinking. They don\'t want Arafat, they don\'t want Feisal Husseini - they want to live in this city with equality, and it is our job to create this reality.\"