Jerusalem Day began Tues. evening, 23 May, 2017 with the official ceremony marked at the Western Wall, attended by officials that included President Reuven Rivlin, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze’ev Elkin. Rivlin called Jerusalem the "heart of the State of Israel” and described the Western Wall as the heart of the city. "We gave our all for Jerusalem because we knew that on Jerusalem we must insist,” Rivlin said. "We will always insist on Jerusalem. There never has been, there never will be any other reality. Here, in these stones, beats the heart of the Jewish people. Jerusalem is the heart of the State of Israel and the Kotel is the heart of Jerusalem.”

Rivlin said he clearly remembered the moment he heard confirmation of the liberation of Jerusalem’s Old City while serving as a reserve intelligence officer in the Jerusalem Brigade. "When I heard over the two-way radio the voices of my fellow soldiers, we could hardly believe it: ‘The Temple Mount is in our hands!’ I can never forget this,” the president said. "We all felt the history – and the future – of Israel, of the Jewish people, rested on our shoulders. And with that, a great joy filled us all, across the city, across the world. We had returned home – to Jerusalem, to Yerushalayim.” A ceremony was held earlier in the day at Ammunition Hill to honor the soldiers who fought in the battles for Jerusalem. During the ceremony medals were awarded to some 1,800 commanders and veterans of the Six Day War, as well as to the families who lost loved ones to the war. More than 180 Israeli soldiers fell along the Jerusalem front over the course of three days of fighting against Jordanian troops, in what was considered one of the fiercest and bloodiest battles of the war. (J.Post) "Then you will know that I, the Lord your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again will foreigners invade her,” Joel 3:17 [Comment]

 After their meeting in Jerusalem on Mon. 22 May 2017, Israeli PM Netanyahu thanked USA President Donald Trump for his "reassertion of American leadership in the Middle East.” Netanyahu said in remarks before the two leaders, joined by their wives, sat down for dinner, "I look forward to working closely with you to confront the dangers we face together in this violent and volatile Middle East. I believe that together we can roll back Iran’s march of aggression and terror in this region and we can thwart Iran’s unbridled ambition to become a nuclear weapons state.” Furthermore, Netanyahu praised Trump for his deep commitment to Israel’s security, its well-being and its future. "I have no doubt that as we work together, the alliance between our countries will grow ever stronger,” he said. Trump responded, "We have so many opportunities in front of us. But we must seize them together. We must take advantage of the situation and there are many, many things that can happen that would never have been able to happen before.” Regarding a potential Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, Trump stated, "I have a feeling we’re going to get there eventually, I hope.” (Algemeiner) [Comment]

The Trump administration declared this week, the President is in "Jerusalem, Israel," for a series of meetings with Israeli officials, a proclamation that breaks with years of American policy refraining from stating that the city of Jerusalem is part of Israel. Senior Trump administration officials had ignited a wave of controversy over the past several weeks when discussing Jerusalem, with some top officials refusing to say that the ancient city is part of Israel. Decades of USA policy has refrained from formally labeling Jerusalem as part of Israel due to concerns this could negatively impact the Middle East peace process, in which Palestinian leaders have staked a claim to the city as their future capital. Ahead of a joint press conference with Israeli PM Netanyahu, the White House, on its official website, provided a live stream of the event. Prior to its start, the White House included a frame stating, "President Trump gives remarks with Prime Minister Netanyahu." The location provided was "Jerusalem, Israel." The statement appears to be part of an effort to normalize this language, which is widely backed by USA lawmakers and senior officials in the administration, sources said. (Wash. Free Beacon) [Comment]

Speaking at celebrations on Sunday 21 May 2017, marking 50 years since the reunification of Jerusalem, PM Benjamin Netanyahu said, "Fifty years ago, we didn't occupy, we liberated. By the heroism of our warriors and the love of our people, Jerusalem was liberated. Jerusalem was and always will be the capital of Israel. The Temple Mount and the Western Wall will always remain under Israeli sovereignty." The event included an audiovisual show projected on the walls of the Old City and the Tower of David. (Ha'aretz) "I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them," says the Lord your God.” Amos 9:15 [Comment]

 Jerusalem Day is an Israeli national holiday commemorating the reunification of Jerusalem and the establishment of Israeli control over the Old City in the aftermath of the June 1967 Six-Day War. On Wed. 24 May 2017, Israel will celebrate 50 years of Jerusalem's reunification. During the week of 21 May to 25 May 2017, the Jerusalem Municipality is offering a wide variety of attractions and shows for the benefit of residents and visitors. The event "Jerusalem Celebrates 50", which includes a breathtaking audio-visual display shown on the Old City walls and a variety of performances, will take place across the city. Mayor of Jerusalem, Nir Barkat said, "50 years have passed since Jerusalem has been united, and this year we will celebrate this with a wide variety of events, allowing more and more people to connect with Jerusalem and take part in the festivities. I invite all the residents and visitors to come join the celebrations in honor of the reunification of our nation’s capital." (Janglo) "Rejoice with those who rejoice,” Rom. 12:15 [Comment]

Housing and Construction Minister Maj. Gen. (res.) Yoav Galant addressed the opening of the "Touching the Moment" exhibition at the Davidson Center in Jerusalem on 8 May 2017, to strengthen the city's status. "Jerusalem for the Jewish people is not 'another place.' The entire world looks to Jerusalem because the deepest and most fundamental values of justice and morality for all the nations of the world were formed here in Jerusalem," Galant said. "We must establish our hold on Jerusalem, from Ma'aleh Adumim in the east to Giv'at Ze'ev in the west, from Atarot in the north to the Bethlehem area and Rachel's Tomb, to the outskirts of Efrat and Gush Etzion.” Galant continued that, "Anything that can possibly be done relating to my area of responsibility will be done with an aim to strengthen Jerusalem, whether we are talking about the Western Wall elevator we are working to strengthen, the establishment of the Tiferet Israel synagogue, various commemoration projects, discovering antiquities and their connection to our heritage and history. It is important to explain to the world the rightness of our way, especially these days when there are Holocaust deniers and those who deny the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount, Jerusalem, and everything in it.” (Arutz-7) [Comment]

USA Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, who was sworn in 29 March 2017, will be arriving in Israel on 15 May 2017, to begin his service at the USA Embassy. After his arrival on Monday, Friedman will present his credentials to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who will officially receive him as America’s ambassador to the Jewish state. Friedman also fueled speculation in his tweet that the Trump administration may be preparing to relocate the USA Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the Israeli capital, Jerusalem. "I hope to work out of Jerusalem very soon!” As a candidate in the 2016 presidential election, Trump pledged to implement the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Act and relocate the USA Embassy to Jerusalem and to formally recognize the city as the undivided capital of the State of Israel. (INN) [Comment]

Jerusalem Day celebrations are to open this year with a central event commemorating 50 years since the liberation and unification of Jerusalem. The ceremony, the initiative of Culture Minister Miri Regev, will take place along the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem on 21 May 2017. It will see the presence of PM Netanyahu, President Rivlin, Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Zeev Elkin, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, and Regev herself. The ceremony will entail an artistic presentation, the first of its kind that will be projected onto the walls of the Old City and will tell the story of Jerusalem, from the period of the Bible through the battles and stories of heroism, until the present time. The breathtaking audiovisual presentation will be projected along 250 meters of the Old City walls. In addition, some 100 drones will fly over Jerusalem to create a presentation the likes have which have not yet been seen in Israel. The event will also include performances by well-known Israeli artists, who will perform new arrangements of well-known songs about Jerusalem. Minister Regev said Tues. 9 May 2017, "There is no other nation in the world that has such a deep and old connection with its capital city as the Jewish people has with Jerusalem. Jerusalem has never been more built-up, prosperous and flowering as she is today, and there never has been such a spectacular multimedia presentation on the walls of the city. Come, everybody, and celebrate with Jerusalem in the jubilee of her liberation and unification.” (Arutz-7) "Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her.” Isa 66:10 [Comment]