A group of 15 Parliamentarians from around the world committed to recognizing Jerusalem’s sovereignty at a Knesset conference ahead of Jerusalem Day on Thursday.
The event was attended by senior public officials, including Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana and Mayor of Jerusalem Moshe Lion, alongside ambassadors from Argentina, Paraguay, Malawi, Guatemala, Panama, and Fiji. The Jerusalem Post was also present.
During the conference, approximately 15 parliamentarians from various countries, including the US, Japan, Australia, and several European and African nations, delivered speeches. The lawmakers presented operational commitments to advance Jerusalem’s status within their respective national institutions.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana opened the conference by speaking of Jerusalem as one of the world’s great symbols of coexistence, “a city where Jews, Christians, and Muslims live and worship freely together, a city where shofar blasts mingle with church bells and the Muslim call for prayer, a city where rabbis, priests, and imams, each clothed in the garments of their faith, walk side by side through the same streets.”
However, he stressed that work needs to be done to maintain Jerusalem’s status, and said Israel must continue working to ensure that more nations recognize Jerusalem as its capital and move their embassies there.
MK Dan Illouz praised all parliamentarians, leaders, and public representatives from around the world who have chosen to stand alongside Jerusalem. He stated that there is “one historical truth,” and the Jewish people have an “eternal right to their capital.”
He condemned attempts to apply political pressure to create a “hostile foreign presence” in the heart of Israel’s capital and to “erase the historical connection between Jewish people and Jerusalem.”
“Today, the truth itself is under attack. Standing with Jerusalem right now is not merely a political gesture. It is a profound moral choice,” he said.
“It is no coincidence that we led legislation against foreign interference in Jerusalem. It is no coincidence that we acted against entities operating against the State of Israel from within our capital, because Jerusalem is not a political bargaining chip. It is the beating heart of our nation.”
Director of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus and President of the Israel Allies Foundation, Josh Reinstein, told those gathered, “Today’s event combining the work of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus with the Jerusalem Caucus provides a powerful platform for lawmakers to share their concrete plans and commitments, such as advocating for Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital in their own parliaments and governments.”
International caucus leaders voice support
The forum was then joined by chairs of Israel caucuses around the world.
Chair of the Australian-Israeli Caucus, MP Andrew Wallace, expressed sadness that his country does not recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
He spoke of his personal resonance with Jerusalem as a Catholic.
“It is a place woven deeply into my faith. It is the city of King David, the place where our Lord Jesus walked, taught, suffered, and rose again. It’s a sacred ground. It’s holy to Jews, Christians, and many others,” he said.
Wallace said he sees his role as chair of the Israel Caucus in Australia to try and foster similar groups in the Pacific, and to continue to advocate for Israel within parliament and across his party.
European Union Parliamentary Israel Allies Caucus chair, Bert Jan Ruissen, called Jerusalem the “internal heartbeat of the Jewish people” and the “cradle of Christianity.”
“As a Christian, I see it as a biblical duty to support and protect the Jewish people,” he said. “At a time when the State of Israel is threatened in its very existence, we pray for peace for Jerusalem and the disappearance of the deep-seated hatred against the Jews, not only in Israel, but also here in Europe.”
European leaders warn against antisemitism
In his own election manifesto, Ruissen stressed that Jerusalem must remain the undivided capital of Israel, and that the EU should move its embassy to Jerusalem.
Chair of Portugal Parliamentary Israel Allies Caucus, Chega MP Pedro Frazão, said no propaganda campaign or diplomatic pressure and no wave of antisemitism will ever erase the truth of Jerusalem as the heart of the Jewish people
“So at this time here in Europe, when antisemitism is once again growing across Europe and also across the world, like a poisonous shadow that is creeping through the streets of our civilization, I believe that silence is no longer acceptable.”
He said Chega, his party, rejects antisemitism in all its forms, “whether it comes from academic activism or even disguised under the false language of anti-Zionism.”
“For us, for my political party, the right of the Jewish people to live safely in their own land with secure borders and dignity is a non-negotiable principle.”
Chega - now the second largest party in Portugal - supports the transfer of the Portuguese embassy to Jerusalem.
Ghana-Israel Caucus chair, the Honourable Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah, said Ghana is pushing hard to move its embassy to Jerusalem.
He also said the Ghanaian president will come to Israel next year to sign the declaration of the move.
“We want to be the first African country to move our office to our embassy to Jerusalem,” he added.
The first African nation to actually announce the move of its embassy to Jerusalem was the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2023; however, the move has not yet taken place.
Reverend Carlos Tembe, of the Mozambique-Israel caucus, said his country also recognizes Israel and Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish people.
Tembe, who has just been elected the second vice president in the Mozambican parliament, is now in a position to help more with the cooperation, friendship, and solidarity with Israel in parliament.
“The Israel Allies Foundation operates in Mozambique primarily on the spiritual level, but now, because now I am MP in the parliament, I can work as well as a friend of Israel in our parliament,” Tembe said.
MP Julius Moilinga, chair of the South Sudan forum, said he looks forward to organising a parliamentary visit to Jerusalem led by his caucus’s speaker or himself as chairman.
He said he supports legislation to affirm Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel.
Moilinga also spoke of how, since Israel’s recognition of South Sudan’s independence in 2011, both nations have worked together to address the key development challenges and collaborative efforts, including agriculture, technology, education, health, power, electricity, and infrastructure.
“This partnership not only benefits the people of South Sudan, but also makes our relationship between Israel and South Sudan very strong,” he said.
“Our sovereignty in Jerusalem is not a subject for negotiation, but an existing fact that we must strengthen through diplomatic channels,” said MK Illouz.
“As we approach the 60th anniversary of the city’s unification, we are building an international coalition that will recognize our indisputable right to our united capital.”