WASHINGTON, DC — Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, says President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city on Wednesday will secure his place in the history of the Jewish state and the Jewish people.
“This is a historic wrong that has been righted. Israelis are united in support,” Dermer told Breitbart News. He added, “I think President Trump will have a unique place in the history of the Jewish state.”
During the a televised address from the White House on Wednesday, President Trump said, “I have determined that it is time to official recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. While previous presidents have made this a major campaign promise, they failed to deliver. Today, I am delivering.”
He later added: “Today, we finally acknowledge the obvious: that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality. It is also the right thing to do. It’s something that has to be done.”
Dermer noted how the ancient Persian emperor, Cyrus the Great, remains a beloved historical figure for the Jewish people. “We remember Cyrus. The Jews remember Cyrus, the king of the Persian Empire,” Dermer said. “I do’’t know if the Persians remember Cyrus. We remember Cyrus for, 2,500 years ago, enabling the Jews to go and rebuild the Temple [in Jerusalem]. So, I think you have a president that is going to be remembered by us for as long as we have a memory.”
Palestinians reacted to the news by burning Israeli flags in the streets. The terrorist organization Hamas said Trump had opened “gates of hell,” as it has on numerous occasions in the past, and threatened a “day of rage.”
Israel was on high alert for Friday as riots were staged in the West Bank and rockets were fired in the Gaza Strip.
Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.