President Reuven Rivlin warmly welcomed to his residence in Jerusalem the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. During their meeting, President Rivlin emphasized Israel’s commitment to ending the conflict with the Palestinians, as well as the efforts made by the Jewish state to safeguard freedom of religion for all people of faith, including Christians, Muslims and Jews. The Israeli President also took the opportunity to respond to the allegations Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan levelled against Israel, saying that the Jewish people for the past 150 years have been the majority in Jerusalem, even under the Ottoman Empire.
He further noted that “Under Israeli sovereignty, the state continues to build Jerusalem, as the eternal capital of the Jewish people. There is no doubt Jerusalem is a microcosm of our ability to live together. And we will continue to ensure freedom of religion for all faiths.” The United Kingdom’s Archbishop of Canterbury thanked the Israeli President for his warm hospitality, and took the opportunity to urge both Israelis and Palestinians to learn to love their neighbors and respect them, even when they disagree with them. He further pointed to the highly-anticipated visit by US President Donald Trump to Israel, scheduled for the May22nd, a historic visit the Archbishop said might bring about new opportunities for peace.
“There cannot be peace without every person in the region – Israeli, Israeli Jewish, Israeli Arab, Palestinian, all of them – being sure that they can pursue their life, pursue their aims without fearing the bomb or the bullet. Without fearing persecution, recognized as being validly and legitimately being where they are, knowing that they can bring up children, that they can educate them to learn to love their neighbors and respect them and listen to them even when they disagree with them. And that is the prayer we have for this time. Perhaps there might be an opportunity coming, President Trump is coming in ten days or so, a bit over. There are many surprises in this world at the moment,” said Welby.