They Say, We Say: Jerusalem is the heart and soul of the Jewish people

They Say We Say We know that pro-Israel does not mean blindly supporting policies that are irrational, reckless, and counter-productive. Pro-Israel means supporting policies that are consistent with Israel's interests and promote its survival as a Jewish, democratic state.

You've heard the arguments of the religious and political right-wing, and so have we. They've had their say. Now, we'll have ours.

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What About Jerusalem and Hebron

They Say:

Jerusalem is the heart and soul of the Jewish people. Israel cannot give up any of this holy city to the Arabs, especially in light of history, where under Arab regimes Jews were denied access to our most important holy sites, which were abused and damaged.

We Say:

Jerusalem has throughout history been the focal point of our collective yearning and our collective identity as Jews. The Jewish return to the Old City and its holy sites after 1967 was the fulfillment of this yearning. No one can deny or undermine the Jewish connection to Jerusalem. Jerusalem is and will forever be the capital of Israel.

At the same time, to assert that Israel should be forbidden from negotiating over Jerusalem is tantamount to calling for Israel to live forever by the sword, since a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is impossible without addressing the very real issues that surround Jerusalem. The price for keeping every inch of Jerusalem will be the loss of the opportunity for a two-state solution that will guarantee Israel's security and viability as a Jewish state and a democracy. This is too high a price for Israel to pay, especially when other reasonable options exist to resolve the issues.