I had the opportunity today to sit with MK Rabbi Yehuda Glick in the Knesset for a discussion on his views of Redemption, Peace, and Jerusalem. Glick is perhaps the most recognized leader of the movement to allow freedom of worship on the Temple Mount. He is both determined and completely optimistic regarding Israel and global peace.
Although a resident of Otniel in the Southern Hebron Hills, he is a peace advocate that supports a One State Solution that will give the Palestinian Arabs full human rights. His initiative Jerusalem of Peace, makes Jerusalem the key to world peace.
Rabbi Glick is a force who sees his unplanned Knesset entry as a a sign from G-D to help bring global redemption through freedom of worship on the Temple Mount and the promotion of the indigenous rights of the Jewish people in their historic homeland of Israel
Yesterday (Tuesday), the Knesset Education Committee held the inauguration of “Jerusalem Now & Forever,” a photo exhibition celebrating the 50th year of the reunification of Jerusalem.
The exhibition features photos from the renowned “Photographer of Jerusalem,” Sharon Gabay, which capture the beauty, diversity and tolerance of the Holy City. The exhibition will be displayed in the Knesset over the next two weeks, and will then be exhibited throughout the world in 2017, providing people everywhere with the opportunity to celebrate Jerusalem’s 50th year of reunification.
The exhibition is the initiative of Israel’s largest grassroots Zionist movement, Im Tirtzu, which has teamed up with Sharon Gabay to bring the beauty of Jerusalem to the world. According to Im Tirtzu, the exhibition will serve not only as a tribute to the City, but an answer to those that will use the 50th year of Jerusalem’s reunification to attack the city and the State of Israel.
Members of Knesset from all sides of the political aisle attended the exhibition, including Yehuda Glick (Likud), Ilan Gilon (Meretz), Yakov Margi (Shas), Haim Jelin (Yesh Atid), Zouheir Bahloul (Zionist Camp), Oded Forer (Yisrael Beitenu), Meirav Ben-Ari (Kulanu), and Benny Begin (Likud).
MK Glick, who invited the exhibition to the Knesset, delivered the opening remarks: “A picture, as is known, is worth a thousand words. These pictures deliver a clear message that Jerusalem is a beautiful city, alive and well. A city in which millions of residents of different colors and beliefs live in harmony. Jerusalem at its essence, and as evidenced by its name, is a city of peace. In the words of Isaiah the Prophet, ‘for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all people.’”
Sharon Gabay said: “There are many people here who see the photos and are surprised. I am not surprised – whoever would take a camera and walk around the city – this is what he would see. When they talk about Jerusalem in the news we only see wars, checkpoints, fire and smoke. But I want to photograph the truth, and the truth is that Jerusalem is a pluralistic city that accepts everyone.”
Im Tirtzu CEO Matan Peleg talked about the deep connection between the Jewish People and Jerusalem:
“The Jewish nation is the only nation in history that under the wedding canopy makes a declaration to remember their eternal capital. ‘If I forget thee, O Jerusalem’ is not just a territorial promise, but part of the very essence of the nation. Displaying this exhibition throughout the world will enable the Jewish People to experience the joy of Jerusalem.”
Chairman of the Education Committee MK Yakov Margi also blessed the exhibition: “The exhibition expresses the message of Jerusalem: coexistence and peace. This is an exhibition that needs to travel the country and the world, and go to places that only receive a very selective Israeli experience.”
Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Ofer Berkovitch and MK Haim Jelin were also among the speakers at the exhibition.
A special ministrial committee met on a specific case concerning the forced distancing of a 15 year old boy from his parents home in Yitzhar on the grounds that he engaged in violence towards Arabs.
MK Yehuda Glick was present at the meeting. “This kind of sentence ought to be reserved for emergency situations in which there is a ‘ticking bomb.’ A 15-year-old boy is not a ‘ticking bomb,'” Glick said. “If there is a suspicion that he is going to vandalize a mosque or punch a hole in some car tires, then there are ways to deal with this. The boy has no criminal background […] the means used against him are extraneous.”
Glick connected the plight of the boy to his own situation. “The police fought against me, libeled me, demonized me, made me out as the most dangerous man in the Middle East – thank G-d, the court awarded me damages.”
“The police justified their behavior by saying that I had wanted to disrupt the status quo. A citizen in a democratic country is allowed to want to change the status quo. There is a feeling that security forces are taking on a role that goes beyond their function – that of ‘educator of the correct ideology.”
The police have increasingly used their authority to force youth from Judea and Samaria to suffer harsh conditions by being distanced from their families or even jailed with no charges.
The deconfliction mechanism seems to be in effect as Israel continues to be aloud to attack Hezbollah with impunity. As we have noted before, this serves Russia’s interests by keeping Iran and its client groups in check. The question remains though, at what juncture does this sort of thing get in the way of Putin’s Syria strategy or what happens if the deconfliction mechanism fails?
Although Russia is destroying ISIS throughout Syria, the leader of the Caliphate El-Baghdadi saw the need to reassert himself into the geopolitical situation by threatening Israel. Don’t expect direct attacks yet, but using Israel to rally Jihadists from around the world is a clever strategy. It also means that those who oppose El-Baghdadi are in support of Israel.
Yehuda Glick, one of the leading Temple Mount activists is surprisingly set yo enter the Knesset if one more Likud member leaves or is forced to resign. This will put Jewish prayer rights on the mount center stage in the Knesset, something the Prime Minister fears, but can do very little about.
