B’nai B’rith Europe welcomes President Donald J. Trump’s historical decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel on the 6th of December 2017.

The President of the United States stated “Jerusalem is not only the heart of three great religions, but it is also the heart of one of the most successful democracies in the world”.

President of B’nai B’rith Europe, Serge Dahan, thanks President Donald J. Trump for his historic decision and wishes to express gratitude in the name of all the members of B’nai B’rith Europe.

President of the State of Israel Sir Rivlin pointed out that “Jerusalem has many faces: it is a Holy City and a modern city, which offers freedom of faith for all religions. It is a town of history and innovation; a microcosm of our capacities to live together. Israel will always ensure freedom of worship for the Jews, the Christians and the Muslims”.

Jerusalem was the capital of the State of Israel and the capital of the Jewish people during the biblical time, having sheltered 1^st and 2^nd Temples, central places of religion for Hebrew people until 70 of our era and the central city of the Christian history.

Jewish populations always lived in Jerusalem during centuries in spite of the successive dominations, Roman, Byzantine, Arabic, Crusade then Ottoman (1516 – 1917), British (1917 – 1948), before the Independence of the State of Israel in 1948, and since then. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and Jerusalem has been the capital of the Jewish people for 3000 years.

Not to recognize this historical and political reality is a form of falsification which diverts Israel and the Arab world of the objectives of peace; peace which cannot be built on the lie and or on the refusal of an obvious fact as declared by US president Donald J. Trump “Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. It is nothing moreover, or less, than a recognition of reality”.

President of B’nai B’rith Europe, Serge Dahan, points out that Israel was for a long time the only country in the world whose choice of a capital was not internationally recognized. The absence of this recognition, a denial of reality by the international community, is an injustice repaired today; therefore B’nai B’rith Europe calls all European leaders to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.