In honor of the anniversary of the city’s unification in the 1967 Six Day War, there are tight security safeguards in place for celebrations.
With most of the coronavirus health crisis and the chance to gather outside, were pouring out the Israelis to the west wall of the old city on Sunday to mark the beginning of Jerusalem Day and to celebrate the reunification of the city 54 years ago.
After several days of unrest there was a heavy police presence in the city, and the Leaders of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas called for more violence, but security forces watched carefully as the sunset festivities began with dancing on the ancient western wall of the Jewish Temple.
Jerusalem was split in half during the 1948 War of Independence and reunited in 1967, when Israeli forces drove the Jordanian army out of the city. Reunification opened Jerusalem’s famous Old City and its holy sites. Jews were able to pray again at the Western Wall, which was revered as the holiest site of Judaism next to the Temple Mount.
Under Israeli rule, access to the holy sites for all religions was steadfastly preserved, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised earlier that day, Arab Not to deny rioters access to the city.
“We will not allow extremist elements to undermine the silence in Jerusalem. We will uphold law and order – energetically and responsibly. We will continue to uphold freedom of religion for all faiths, but we will not allow violent interference, « said Netanyahu.
» Jerusalem has been united under the rule of the democratic state of Israel for 54 years. If you look back on thousands of years of Jewish rule and foreign rule and today again under the condition of the Jews, only under the sovereignty of Israel is full and consistent religious freedom guaranteed for all faiths, and so we will continue, « Said Netanyahu.
Jerusalem Day celebrations begin with a traditional prayer in Western Wall Square, followed by singing and dancing. Other events include concerts, special exhibitions in Jerusalem’s museums and receptions.The annual traditional flag parade begins on Monday afternoon with tens of thousands who March through central Jerusalem to the Old City and the Western Wall.
Officials from the Ministry of Tourism hope that Israel’s outbreak of the pandemic will help boost the city’s economy, which normally accounts for nearly 22% of total employment in the city of nearly one million people matters.
Jerusalem is the popular 1st tourist destination in Israel and attracted around 3.6 million tourists in a record year 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic brought global tourism to a standstill.
« Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, is a city with history, depth , Diversity and spectacular beauty and also the most popular destination for foreign tourists, « said Minister of Tourism Orit Farkash-Hacohen. « I sincerely hope that we can see tourists in the old city in the near future. »
« In recent years Jerusalem has been a magnet for millions of Christians from all over the world, » noted the minister. « I have no doubt that in the coming years it will also attract Arab and Muslim tourists from the Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain and other countries. »
Israel has one of the best coronavirus vaccination success stories in the world. Almost 5.5 million of Israel’s 9.3 million citizens have received the coronavirus vaccine and the infection rate has dropped to near zero. The Ministry of Health reported only 17 new infections on Sunday.
Hospitals across the country have closed all of their coronavirus wards and only 150 Israelis remain in hospital with the virus. The economy has gradually opened up and the country hopes tourists will return to kickstart Jerusalem Day next year when other nations reach Israel’s vaccination levels.
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I found a very interesting article in the World Israel News!
Click here to read this: -> https://worldisraelnews.com/israelis-mark-jerusalem-day-celebrating-54-years-of-a-united-city/
Ref: https://worldisraelnews.com
