President Isaac Herzog said Israel must safeguard Jerusalem not only through strength but also through \u201cmorality,\u201d \u201cresponsibility,\u201d and \u201crespect for the faith of the other\u201d during a state ceremony Thursday marking 59 years since the liberation and unification of Jerusalem.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Herzog delivered the remarks on May 14, 2026, at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem during the official ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the city\u2019s reunification.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Addressing the gathering, Herzog\u00a0described Jerusalem as both a living city and a national mission, saying its significance extends beyond symbolism and historical memory.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJerusalem is not only a symbol. Anyone who sees in it only a symbol misses Jerusalem,\u201d Herzog said. \u201cJerusalem 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.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said the city requires Israelis to preserve both memory and daily life simultaneously.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd this, perhaps, is\u00a0Jerusalem\u2019s 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,\u201d Herzog said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The president noted that Israel is approaching six decades since Jerusalem\u2019s reunification and said more years have now passed with the city united under Israeli control than divided.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis evening, we stand on the threshold of the sixtieth year of the city\u2019s reunification. More years have passed in the State of Israel with a united Jerusalem than with a divided one,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Herzog said Israel had already\u00a0demonstrated\u00a0that it would not relinquish Jerusalem and called for a focus on shaping the city\u2019s future.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust 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,\u201d Herzog said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also called\u00a0for\u00a0ensuring that young residents from \u201cevery neighborhood and every community\u201d see themselves as part of Jerusalem\u2019s future and learn \u201cto respect\u201d\u00a0one\u00a0another.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
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