Thread by @IsraeliPM

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks at the start of the special Cabinet meeting, at Jerusalem City Hall, to mark Jerusalem Day.

Full remarks >>
gov.il/en/departments…

We are currently witnessing violent disturbances in Jerusalem under the influence of agitators.
Over the weekend, I held ongoing assessments of the situation.

We will not allow any extremist element to undermine the quiet in Jerusalem. We will uphold law and order – vigorously and responsibly. We will continue to guard freedom of worship for all faiths but we will not allow violent disturbances.

In the same breath, I say to the terrorist organizations: Israel will respond powerfully to any act of aggression from the Gaza Strip.

Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for thousands of years. Our roots in Jerusalem go back to Biblical times. Our continuous link with Jerusalem has been maintained in all generations.

Every archaeological find attests to the strength of this link. We are uncovering Jerusalem's past even as we ensure its future.

For 54 years, Jerusalem has been united under the rule of the democratic State of Israel.

When one looks back over thousands of years of Jewish rule and the foreign rule, and today again under the state of the Jews, only under the sovereignty of Israel has full and consistent freedom of worship been ensured for all faiths, and thus we will continue.

At the same time, we are developing Jerusalem in every sphere: Construction, transportation infrastructure, employment, high-tech and science, heritage, culture, the arts and more.

We emphatically reject the pressures not to build in Jerusalem. Unfortunately, these pressures have been increasing of late. I say to our best friends as well: Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.

PM Netanyahu: "Just as every people builds its capital and in its capital, so too do we reserve the right to build Jerusalem and in Jerusalem. This is what we have done and what we will continue to do."