MK Moshe Ya'alon in Hevron
MK Moshe Ya'alon in HevronCourtesy of Hevron Jewish Community

MK Moshe Ya'alon assured settlers Wednesday during a visit to Gush Etzion and Hevron that the Jewish return to the city of the Patriarchs is “forever.” 

"I was pleased to visit Gush Etzion, to meet with the people and to see the development in the area,” he said. "I'm sure we will continue to see prosperity. Gush Etzion certainly proves what true Zionist pioneers can build. 

"Our return to Hevron is not temporary, but rather is forever, and we are working to develop our presence here,” he added.

Among the sites Ya'alon visited during his tour of the area was the Wine Harvest Festival taking place at the Gush Etzion Winery, and the nearby burgeoning community of Alon Shvut. In Hevron, Ya'alon visited the Cave of the Patriarchs, burial site of the Biblical Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca and Leah.

Members of the kibbutzim that were located in Gush Etzion were captured and killed by the Jordanian Legion in the war of 1948, when the area was lost to Israel. The region was restored to the Jewish State when it was recaptured from the Jordanians during the 1967 Six Day War.