The 20th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem was marked by commemoration and celebration Wednesday as Israelis recalled the military victory and the lives lost to achieve it.
“The battle for Mt. Zion was won here on Mt. Herzl,” Foreign Minister Shimon Peres declared at a memorial service at the military cemetery on Mt. Herzl. Elsewhere, veterans of the paratroop brigade that helped capture East Jerusalem from the Jordanian army in the 1967 Six-Day War met for reunion and reminiscence.
They gathered first on Ammunition Hill, site of the fiercest battle. Later they marched through St. Stephen’s Gate, where they first entered the Old City 20 years ago.
The Western Wall was jammed throughout the night with youngsters, yeshiva students and soldiers as fireworks burst over the city and laser beams swept the skies. About 100,000 Israelis and tourists came here to celebrate. Among them was a large group of Ethiopian immigrants, who held a ceremony at Kibbutz Ramat Rahel, just outside the city, in memory of Ethiopian Jews who died on the long trek to Israel.
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