From left to right, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, Gidon Ariel of Root Source, and Rabbi Tuly Weisz of Israel365 in Edelstein’s Knesset office. Israel365 presented Edelstein with a Jerusalem unity proclamation that was signed by more than 50,000 people. Photo: Courtesy Israel365.

JNS.org – Israel365, an Israeli NGO that promotes the biblical significance of the Jewish state to Evangelical Christian Zionists, on Thursday presented Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud) with a proclamation signed by more than 50,000 people affirming the unity of Jerusalem.

The group’s presentation of the “Jerusalem Covenant” came several days before Tisha B’Av (the Ninth of Av), a fast day that commemorates the destruction of both Jewish Temples in Jerusalem.

“We are so concerned with our day-to-day work that sometimes we forget that for the past 2,000 years, since those days of Tisha B’Av, we didn’t have any signs of independence or symbols of sovereignty. And now, here we are, in the Knesset building in the heart of Jerusalem,” Edelstein said.

Rabbi Tuly Weisz, director of Israel365, said it is “remarkable to think that so many non-Jews today are joining our efforts to rebuild Jerusalem and ensure that it remains the undivided capital of the Jewish people.”

The Jerusalem Covenant was first drafted in 1992 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Israeli capital’s reunification. Israel365 revived the covenant in 2013 and collected signatures from more than 100 countries.