Tens of thousands of Jews gather for traditional blessing in Jerusalem
JERUSALEM — Tens of thousands of people gathered at the holiest Jewish prayer site in Jerusalem on Tuesday for the traditional priestly blessing prayer.
The “Birkat Cohanim,” or Cohen’s blessing, is a ritual dating back over 2,500 years to when King Solomon’s Temple stood on the same site. The blessing is performed by male Jews who can trace their lineage back to the priestly caste, and takes place three times a year during Judaism’s major holidays. Jews are currently observing the weeklong holiday of Passover.
The prayer was led by many of the country’s top rabbis as well as Eliya Cohen, a former hostage who was released from Gaza in February, and relatives of other hostages still being held in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a surprise visit to troops in northern Gaza on Tuesday, his office said.
In a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Netanyahu said the creation of a Palestinian state would be “a huge reward for terrorism” and result in a terrorist-run entity just miles from Israeli cities.
In his own statement posted on X, French President Emmanuel Macron called for another ceasefire, the release of hostages and renewing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Macron said last week that France should aim to recognize a Palestinian state by June when it joins Saudi Arabia in hosting an international conference on implementing a two-state solution.
Meanwhile, a second U.S. aircraft carrier is in Middle East waters ahead of second round of Iran-U.S. nuclear talks. Satellite photos analyzed Tuesday show the USS Carl Vinson and its strike group are operating in the Arabian Sea to back up the USS Harry S. Truman.
The war in Gaza started when Hamas-led terrorists stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Fifty-nine hostages are still inside Gaza, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.
The number of people killed by Israel’s war in Gaza has climbed above 51,000 people, according to an updated toll released by Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry on Tuesday.
