[AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text
version below transcribed directly from audio]
In 1998, I hosted the Prime Minister of Turkey.
His name was
[Mesut] Yılmaz. We had wonderful relations with Turkey at the time.
They've not stood -- withstood stood the test of time. But at the time they were
very good. And after a wonderful dinner at the Prime Minister's residence, we
had a coffee in the living room.
And I said, Prime Minister, "I have a favor to ask you."
And he said, "Yes, go ahead."
And I said, "There is a tablet, a
stone tablet in Hebrew that was found in the
tunnel that we have just" -- it's right here -- "that was dug 2700 years ago by
King Hezekiah." That's 300 years after King David. "And it marks the place
where two teams of diggers met" -- just as was described here, two teams of
archaeological workers.
"They met when they dug this channel underneath
Jerusalem to give it, to connect it to the water source, the water source and
the
Pool of Siloam. It would be completely underground, safe from enemies. And
when the two teams heard one another, they started digging towards each other
and at the place where they met and completed the tunnel, they put this tablet
in Hebrew, the Bible speaking to us, because that channel, the digging of that
channel is described in the Bible. And here we see that in biblical Hebrew,
perhaps except the
Dead Sea Scrolls, the most important archaeological discovery
in Israel.
And I said, "Look, I have a proposal for you. You know, we have thousands of
Ottoman artifacts in our museums. Choose anyone you want. You can get it. It's
yours. And let's do an exchange."
And he said, "No, I'm sorry. I can't do that."
And I said, "Well, take all the artifacts in our museums."
And he said, "No, I can't do that."
And I said, "Well, name your price."
And he said, "Prime Minister Netanyahu, there is no price."
And I said, "Why?"
He said, "Well, there is a growing Islamist constituency headed by the then
mayor of Istanbul" -- you know
his name -- "and there would be outrage
from this section of the Turkish people that we would give Israel a tablet that
would show that Jerusalem was a Jewish city 2700 years ago."
Well, it was a Jewish city 3,000 years ago.
And we just passed over here the shaft in which David's general, Joab, climbed
with some brave soldiers to conquer the city from within.1
David declared it its capital. Jerusalem, D.C. -- "David's Capital." And here, right next to these stones and on these pavements,
the prophets of Israel prophesied, the kings of Israel walked, the pilgrims
came. And some of the most poetic Psalms and prophecies and proverbs in the
history of humanity were written, inspiring not only our people but all of
humanity.
And this continued for a thousand years into the time of Jesus, a Jewish rabbi
from the Galilee, who came here to Jerusalem, the Holy of Holies. And He came
here to that pool in Siloam to be purified, where he also performed the
miracle
of helping the blind see. And then they would walk up the road to this place.
That was all brought to an end by the
great rebellion of the Jews against the
Romans in 70 AD. And when we tread on these stones, you'll find a hole there,
some holes, because the Jews hid in the spaces below the stones. We found a
Roman sword there. The Jews fought bravely. But the Romans were absolutely
merciless. And they killed hundreds of thousands of Jews, including those hiding
below the
Pilgrims' Road.
Now, 2,000 years later, we recovered our city. We
recovered our independence. We
built our sovereign State anew. We built an army. And we built a country like no
other. But this country is based on those 2,000 years of yearning. "Next year in
Jerusalem." "Next year in Jerusalem." It didn't matter if you were in the
ghetto
in Toledo or the ghetto in Warsaw. That's what Jews prayed for: next year in
Jerusalem.
Well, we're here. This is our city, Mr. Erdogan. It's not your city; it's our
city. It will always be our city. It will not be divided again.
And that's why I so much appreciate the leadership of President Trump in this
area as well. When he
declared Jerusalem our capital, something that should have
been acknowledged by every leader in the world. But he did it and then moved the
American Embassy here. He did things that are so obvious and yet defied all
these governments, all these foreign chancelleries, all these experts who said,
"You cannot do that." He called me up before he did it, and he asked,
"What do you think?"
I said, "Well, you know...."
"Would there be riots?" "Would there be bloodshed?"
And I said, "I don't think so. But if there will be, it'll be primarily directed
at us. And we are definitely ready."
So he just did it.
And I welcome today the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who understands that
this is the foundation of our common Judeo-Christian heritage. It is being
challenged today. It's being challenged by a growing Islamist force. It's being
challenged by the unity of the Islamists with the ultra-left. They both deny our
patrimony. They both deny our heritage. And they are putting all the pressure on
European leaders and others who, weak-kneed, are suggesting that we divide
Jerusalem. They're suggesting that we plant a Palestinian State committed to our
destruction right here.
And we say any unilateral action can be met with unilateral action. This is our
city. It is forever our city. It will never be divided again and there will be
no Palestinian State.
And that -- with that brief "commercial," I want to thank the -- the donors, the
diggers, the people who committed so much of their lives to this incredible
foundation of our civilization and of the Jewish people. You deserve, [iunclear].
You deserve the eternal gratitude of Jews and Christians
and free men and women alike.
Thank you. Thank you all. Thank you.
And
Am Yisrael Chai
["The People of Israel Live"] and Jerusalem lives in our hearts.
