Transportation Minister Miri Regev (Likud) on Tuesday rejected changes to the Jerusalem Day March route.
In her remarks the Channel 14 Jerusalem Conference for Business and Economics at the Jerusalem College of Technology, Regev said, “It’s wrong to change the route. It should remain the same as in previous years, since the parade is a symbol for the city itself.”
She added, “Thousands arrive from all over the country to take part in the parade and commemorate this beautiful day. The message we sent during Operation Shield and Arrow to all terrorists is this: Don’t mess with us.”
“Israel has the capability to reach anywhere and [the parade] is an opportunity to congratulate those in our security establishment, who led that precise operation and helped the country convey such a clear message.”
Regev also interpreted Hamas’ lack of involvement in the last round of violence – in which Israel fought the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group - as a sign that Hamas will stay away from the march as well.
“They didn’t enter this campaign and they will not dare interfere with Jerusalem Day, since they saw what happened the last time they got involved,” she said, adding that she plans to attend the parade this year as she has done in years past.
Regev also commended Israel’s security establishment for the way it handled the operation, saying, “Our conflict with Gaza is a complex one. The residents of southern Israel suffer a lot - my family still lives there. It can’t go on like this and I think the decisions made by the political and security echelons were correct. These operations restore deterrence and Gaza knows we have the capability of reaching them.”
Also in attendance at the event was Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionism), who praised the conference’s host, Jerusalem College of Technology.
“We’re sitting here at The Jerusalem College of Technology – a truly phenomenal institution. Over 40% of its students are haredi - 1,800 students. They have over 800 students who are immigrants. One of three developers of the Iron Beam defense system are alumni,” he said, adding that he was very much looking forward to Jerusalem Day as well.
“Jerusalem will soon celebrate Jerusalem Day,” he said. “And that is a big joy.”
