During his visit to the Oz veGaon preserve, the Minister of Heritage and Jerusalem Affairs expressed support for the idea of establishing a center to relate and document the story of the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria.
Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage, Rabbi Rafi Peretz, visited the Oz veGaon preserve in Gush Etzion yesterday (Tuesday). Also present were Head of Gush Etzion Council Shlomo Ne’eman, the CEO of Gush Etzion Tourism Moshe Bruce and Guy Derech, from the Preserving Eternity organization.
The minister toured the preserve and was shown the educational and agricultural initiatives that take place there.
Yehudit Katsover and Nadia Matar, the directors of the preserve, welcomed Minister Rabbi Peretz to the preserve and told him about the many meetings that take place at the site between groups of youths and adults from the many different sectors throughout the Land and abroad.
They also emphasized the discourse that exists at the place to strengthen the vision of sovereignty and ways to implement it.
They also showed him a number of plans and initiatives that are to be carried out at the preserve in the near future, with the approach of Zionist values to deepen the Israeli connection to Gush Etzion in particular and Judea and Samaria in general.
“The preserve is the best place to invest in for the development of the values of Judaism, Zionism, heritage and sovereignty”, they stated.
“It is a good time to visit Oz veGaon, in light of remarks by the American President Joe Biden, who calls for the two-state solution. From this place, we say that we will never allow a Palestinian state in the heart of our Land, we will preserve a united Jerusalem, because eternity is Jerusalem”, say the two women.
In their remarks, Katsover and Matar emphasized the need to form a unified and broad right-wing government vis-à-vis the American administration, which is expected to use political and other pressures to demand the division of the Land and the establishment of a terror state in its heart.
“There is a potential for about eighty mandates among the right and religious camps and the leaders of these camps must realize this potential out of concern for the future of Israel during this critical period”.
Uri Schechter, who was a key member of the search team that discovered the bodies of the youths who were abducted and murdered more than 6 years ago and whose names are commemorated in the name of the preserve, was also present during the minister’s visit and related the story of the search that led to the location of the youths.
In their discussion with the minister, Katsover and Matar spoke of their intention to establish an institution at the preserve to document and tell the story of the settlement enterprisr in Judea and Samaria.
The minister related positively to the idea.
During the visit, the minister and his team went up to the Ari Fuld Observation Point, in the highest part of the preserve, which was established in memory of Ari Fuld, hy"d, who was murdered at Gush Etzion Junction, near the preserve and was one of the most enthusiastic supporters of the Sovereignty Movement.
The minister walked in the preserve’s Zionist Boulevard, and among the “Singing Benches”, which connect the place with songs of the Land of Israel in a unique way and concluded the visit by planting a grapevine near the ancient winepress at the preserve.
“Gush Etzion is a story of heroism. The heroism of the pioneers before the establishment of the state, the heroism of the sons who returned and the heroism of the dear youths and Ari Fuld, who were murdered by a vile and brutal enemy.
The council here is doing holy work.
This is the story of our People, our heritage, our tragedies. I will do everything I can so that this project will continue and reach every young man and woman in Israel”, said Minister Rabbi Peretz.