Herzog Plants Tree in Gush Etzion as New Settlement Is Planned

President Isaac Herzog visited Gush Etzion on Wednesday as part of events marking 80 years since the founding of Kibbutz Masuot Yitzhak. The trip, led by the Gush Etzion Regional Council, included a tour of the settlement of Gevaot, a screening at the Kfar Etzion heritage site, a meeting with longtime residents of the bloc, and a tree-planting ceremony at old Masuot Yitzhak.

At Gevaot, Herzog was briefed on the settlement’s rapid development and on a recently approved plan for 800 new housing units. He was also shown its vision of integrating people with special needs into the community, education and employment system.

Later, at the “Return Room” in Kfar Etzion, the president watched a film about the fall of the area and its remembrance. He then met veterans of Gush Etzion and the families of the founders at old Masuot Yitzhak.

The visit culminated in planting a tree at the site named for Herzog’s grandfather, Chief Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog. About 40 years ago, his father, former president Chaim Herzog, also planted a tree there. Herzog said it was “very moving” to be in a place that reflects the story of Israel and his own family, from his grandparents who arrived when the land was barren, through his father, to the next generation. He added that “these days” the site’s message is that Israelis must continue together, with shared responsibility, to strengthen what unites them and keep building the state. Regional Council head Yaron Rosental called the visit “a moment of Zionist, family and national closure,” and said the new settlement of “Masuot Har” represents “memory becoming construction, and return becoming life.”