Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation on Wednesday in honor of Jerusalem Day which falls on Friday but will be celebrated on Thursday so as to avoid its clashing with Shabbat.
Netanyahu began by noting the Jewish people's constant celebration of Jerusalem.
"On Jerusalem Day, we once again place Jerusalem at the top of our joy," he said. "But the truth is we do it every day, every year, and actually among our people, we do it for future years. 'To next year in Jerusalem.'"
The quote is common in Jewish culture. It is said at the end of Seder night on Passover to mark the end of the evening, and some communities sing it to mark the end of Yom Kippur. The tradition was started long before Israel was established as an expression of the Jewish desire to return to the people's homeland, but it continues to this day even with an established nation and Jewish Jerusalem.
Israel continues to develop and defend Jerusalem
"Well, we're back in our land," Netanyahu added. "In the middle of the 19th Century, there was already a Jewish majority in Jerusalem, and of course, it took another century until we returned and established our nation and Jerusalem as our official capital city. It took another 19 years until that fateful day in 1967. We released Jerusalem and reunited it."
Netanyahu said that Israel is committed to continuing to protect Jerusalem and ensuring that it continues to prosper.
"We released Jerusalem and reunited it."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
"We are doing so even with all the threats around us," he said. "Recently in Operation Shield and Arrow but all the time. The threats don't necessarily stop, but our ability to deal with our enemies and hold them back and promise our security both in Jerusalem and the rest of the country is a constant struggle. Together, we can do it.
"This also a day to celebrate our return to our eternal capital that has been ours for more than 3,000 years," he ended. "There's no such thing in the world, but it exists here in our world, in the center of our world, Jerusalem."