Rivlin says Arab neighbors must accept Jerusalem as Israel’s capital

President Reuven Rivlin says Israel’s Arab neighbors needs to come to terms with the fact that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital.

Addressing the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic conference in the city’s Waldorf Astoria hotel, Rivlin notes that he is a seventh-generation Jerusalemite.

“We are neighbors. We knew all the time that the most important thing is Jerusalem. We are all Jersalemites,” he says, speaking in English. “But I really believe, and I know that my neighbors for the last 200 years know very well — we’re not doomed to live together, we’re destined to live together.”

“Out cousins have to realize, whether they like it or now, we’re here,” he says.

He dodges a question about the likelihood that an American recognition of Jerusalem could turn violent, merely saying that the city is the seat of Israel’s government. “My political tutor, Menachem Begin, has taught me that sometimes the obvious should be said. The obvious is that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.”

Towards the end of his remarks, Rivlin is asked about pardoning Yitzhak Rabin’s killer Yigal Amir. “Yigal Amir, I believe, will never be pardoned,” he responds.

— Raphael Ahren