Israeli President Reuven Rivlin last week stated unequivocally that it is the right of Jews and the Jewish state to settle the biblical Land of Israel.  “I love the land of Israel with all my heart. I have never and will never give up on this land. For me, our right to this land is not a matter of political debate,” Rivlin said in a meeting with Jewish settler leaders.
Rivlin suggested that Israel more firmly cling to this right, debatable as its implementation may be, in national discourse and the peace process.  “We must not give anyone the sense that we are in any doubt about our right to our land,” the president said. “For me, the settlement of the land of Israel is an expression of that right, our historical right, our national right.”  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others in the Israeli government have long demanded that recognition of the Jews’ religious and historical connection and claims to this land be a starting point of peace negotiations with the Arabs.  But President Rivlin was also adamant that acting on the right to settle the Land of Israel must be accompanied by compassion for and care of the non-Jewish population.  “Our sovereignty in this land means responsibility for all those who live here, and obliges all of us to uphold the strictest of moral codes, which is inherent in each and every one of us,” concluded Rivlin.