Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) said President Trump could go down in history as the first world leader to recognize the city of Jerusalem as Israel’s united capital, comparing him to President Harry S. Truman, whose administration was one of the first major governments to recognize Israel in 1948.
Speaking at an event Sunday night marking the 50th anniversary of the unification of Jerusalem in 1967, Bennett called upon President Trump to make history just hours before the president’s arrival in Israel on Monday.
"President Truman went down in history as the first leader in the world to recognize the newly established State of Israel. President Trump has a unique opportunity to go down in history as the first global leader that recognizes a united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty. I hope he would step up to the plate. It certainly is a desire and a wish that would put him down in the annals history."
Bennett rejected plans by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to offer a package of goodwill gestures to the Palestinian Authority, including increased Arab construction in Area C of Judea and Samaria.
"It's no secret I believe that dividing Israel yet again, and founding a second Palestinian state - beyond the one in Gaza, is a profound mistake that would bring a hundred years of misery to Israelis and Palestinians."
"The Jews are the indigenous people of the Land of Israel. So there's no reason we should take our tiny piece of land and hand it over to our enemies."
"I don't think that our approach should be severing land and handing it over to our enemies as a gesture. I think that's the wrong approach."