Construction began yesterday on a village that will serve as the regional center for a group of settlements south of Jerusalem that were captured in the Six-Day War after 19 years of Arab occupation. Ground-breaking ceremonies were held on a leveled hilltop where the village serving the so-called Etzion bloc will be built. The settlements of Kfar Etzion and Rosh Tsurim, captured by the Jordanian Arab Legion in 1948, have already been revived. A third settlement is planned in the near future.
The regional center is a joint project of the Jewish Agency’s settlement department and the Ministry of Housing. It will contain an elementary school, a building to house the Har Etzion Yeshiva. various workshops, a music center and immigrants’ hostels.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.