Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was excluded on Sunday from the traditional Jerusalem Day celebrations at a prominent religious Zionist Yeshiva.
This was the first time in that a prime minister was shunned by organizers at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva's annual event marking the reunification of Jerusalem.
President Issac Herzog, who spoke at the event hinted at Bennett's absence and said that those who hold different views must not be excluded.
"Israeli unity is sacred," Herzog said. "We must keep it strong, and we must fight against hatred and those who try to turn us against each other," he said in his speech.
"All of us must honor Israel's symbols of sovereignty and independence, which we have dreamed of for thousands of years. Unjustified hatred is what led to the destruction of Jerusalem, and if we are not careful, it will lead to it again. We all must be responsible, and put what is best for the people of Israel as a priority. In a diverse, democratic, and intense world like ours, criticism is allowed and even welcomed," Herzog said.
"We must remember that no one asked the liberators of Jerusalem during their heroic fight, as they risked and sacrificed their lives 55 years ago, what their political opinion was, whether they wear a yarmulke or not," he said.
Herzog also referred to the government's decision to allow the flag parade to enter the Old CIty through the Damascus Gate, and pass through the Muslim quarter, as has been the custom.
"Our connection to Jerusalem is eternal and inseparable. There is only one Jerusalem, and it is united and Israeli," Herzog said.
Mercaz HaRav is considered a prominent religious Zionist institution, founded by the spiritual leader of the settlement movement Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook in 1924.
The fact that an invitation was not extended to the prime minister can be seen as an insult from the political right wing which has been critical of Bennett's coalition and blames him for the failure to form a right-wing and religious coalition under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu.
It was the target of a deadly terror attack in 2008 where eight people were killed when Palestinian gunman broke into the compound and opened fire.