Behind the Scenes: How Kfar Etzion Was Re-established After 1967 War
Fifty-nine years after its historic refounding, the political dramas, legal maneuvers, and secret documents that led to the re-establishment of Kfar Etzion are being revealed. On September 22, 1967, descendants of Kfar Etzion returned to rebuild their settlement, destroyed in the 1948 War of Independence, making it the first Jewish settlement in the West Bank after the Six-Day War. Prime Minister Levi Eshkol famously told them in Yiddish, "Kinderlich, go up!".
Recent access to government and cabinet meeting archives reveals that Eshkol's encouraging words were preceded by intense political and diplomatic struggles. Following Israel's capture of the West Bank in the Six-Day War, veterans of Kfar Etzion, which lost 85 defenders in 1948, hoped to return. Initial meetings with Defense Minister Moshe Dayan and Prime Minister Eshkol yielded only vague responses.
Meanwhile, the government debated how to annex the territory without its Arab population. Menachem Begin advocated full annexation and increased immigration, Yigal Allon proposed annexing sparsely populated areas while establishing autonomy elsewhere, and Moshe Dayan opposed any civilian settlement, suggesting a closed military zone. Dayan's "Fist Plan" in August 1967 proposed five military bases along the ridge, with Nahal outposts and family housing to follow, initially in Gush Etzion where Jewish National Fund land was available. Foreign Minister Abba Eban and Eshkol feared international backlash, and the government initially approved only military bases, rejecting outposts.
Despite the government's refusal, public pressure mounted. A large rally in Gush Etzion and frequent meetings by second-generation members, notably Hanan Porat, with Eshkol and youth/Nahal officials began to sway opposition. Dr. Nadav Frankel of Kfar Etzion Field School explains the pro-settlement coalition comprised the National Religious Party ministers (seeing it as a historical duty), activist ministers from Mapai (like Allon), Dayan seeking to implement his outpost plan, and Justice Minister Yaakov Shimshon Shapira, who distinguished legally between Jewish National Fund land and other West Bank territories.
The drama culminated just before the refounding. A document from the Kfar Etzion archive shows frantic preparations and attempts by Hanan Porat to get Kfar Etzion approved as a "Nahal outpost" under the radar. A letter from Yehuda Shapira, head of the Youth and Nahal Department, to Avraham Shapira of the Bnei Akiva movement, blesses their "difficult mission" in Gush Etzion, indicating efforts to enable the second generation's return as an outpost while government discussions were still heated.
From September 21-24, 1967, Eshkol presented the settlement as a done deal to the government. When questioned by Minister Moshe Kol about whether it was an outpost or settlement, Eshkol replied with a smile, "An outpost. In time, kids become rams." Many ministers accused Eshkol of exceeding his authority, as the government had only approved military bases. Eshkol dismissed the claims, confirmed the positive answer for Kfar Etzion, and moved on. No official vote on Kfar Etzion's establishment ever occurred in the government. Eshkol utilized the aforementioned coalition to push the decision through, with ministers understanding the need to "establish facts on the ground" and feeling a historical obligation to Gush Etzion's former residents. Thus, on Friday, September 22, 1967, the people of Kfar Etzion finally returned to their rebuilt home, stopping at Rachel's Tomb en route to recite verses of comfort from Jeremiah.
