Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in Japan on Wednesday that there would never be “two Jerusalems.”
Speaking at a press conference at the National Press Club in Tokyo as anti-Israel protesters chanted outside, holding signs accusing him of being a war criminal, Sa’ar said that there is “one truth, not two, as [there is] one sun and as there are no two Jerusalems.”
The Palestinian Authority claims eastern Jerusalem as the future capital of a Palestinian state. Israel has opposed this, stating that Jerusalem will remain undivided under Israel’s control.
The protesters “tried to disrupt and even break into the event. They did not succeed today and will not succeed in the future in silencing our voice. The truth will prevail,” tweeted Sa’ar following the press conference.
He arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday, marking the first visit by an Israeli foreign minister to Japan in 15 years.
Upon his arrival, Sa’ar said Israel was grateful for Japan’s “steadfast support” since Oct. 7, 2023, decrying Hamas for its refusal to disarm and return the remaining hostages it captured on that day. He maintained that both Israel and Japan sought peace, security and stability, but said Hamas’s presence in Gaza impeded that goal.