President Isaac Herzog said Israel must safeguard Jerusalem not only through strength but also through “morality,” “responsibility,” and “respect for the faith of the other” during a state ceremony Thursday marking 59 years since the liberation and unification of Jerusalem. 

Herzog delivered the remarks on May 14, 2026, at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem during the official ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the city’s reunification. 

Addressing the gathering, Herzog described Jerusalem as both a living city and a national mission, saying its significance extends beyond symbolism and historical memory. 

“Jerusalem is not only a symbol. Anyone who sees in it only a symbol misses Jerusalem,” Herzog said. “Jerusalem is so wondrous because it is alive. Because in the shadow of the ancient stones, children play. Because alongside the grand sweep of history, there are small, tangible, daily lives.” 

He said the city requires Israelis to preserve both memory and daily life simultaneously. 

“And this, perhaps, is Jerusalem’s great secret: it does not ask us to choose between memory and life. It demands that we carry both together. To remember the fallen, and to build homes; to safeguard the holy places, and to develop every sphere of life,” Herzog said. 

The president noted that Israel is approaching six decades since Jerusalem’s reunification and said more years have now passed with the city united under Israeli control than divided. 

“This evening, we stand on the threshold of the sixtieth year of the city’s reunification. More years have passed in the State of Israel with a united Jerusalem than with a divided one,” he said. 

Herzog said Israel had already demonstrated that it would not relinquish Jerusalem and called for a focus on shaping the city’s future. 

“Just as we have safeguarded it with strength, we must safeguard it also in spirit, in morality, in responsibility, in love of fellow human beings and respect for the faith of the other, respect for their way of life,” Herzog said. 

He also called for ensuring that young residents from “every neighborhood and every community” see themselves as part of Jerusalem’s future and learn “to respect” one another.