The Gush Etzion Regional Council won a legal victory Tuesday when Jerusalem District Judge Ram Winograd ruled that land in the center of Gush Etzion belongs to the Himnuta organization, a subsidiary of the Jewish National Fund. The ruling settled a dispute over ownership of the land, which according to the court decision was proven to have been purchased in 1944 from the Marcus family, a Christian family who emigrated to South America. Kibbutz Ein Tzurim was built on the land after the purchase. The Kibbutz was one of four located in Gush Etzion which fell to the Jordanian army in the 1948 War of Independence . 240 defenders and residents of Gush Etzion were killed when the bloc fell, including those murdered in the infamous Kfar Etzion massacre which took place as the defenders were surrendering and holding white flags. A new Kibbutz, Rosh Tzurim, was built in place of Ein Tzurim after the Six Day War put an end to the 1948-1967 Jordanian occupation of land allotted to the Jewish State. The verdict found that Himnuta has the rightful ownership of the 522 dunams (130 acres) of land. "The plaintiff was able to provide evidence to substantiate the claim that it acquired the land from the Marcus family."
