Vice Premier Silvan Shalom sent greetings Thursday evening to the thousands who went to the tomb of the Biblical matriarch Rachel, between Jerusalem and Bethlehem on the anniversary of her death. He said the date represents, more than anything, the yearning, longing and hope of a return to Zion and a settling of the land of Israel.

The minister stressed, "We have merited to see with our own eyes the fulfillment of the promise of our mother Rachel. We have returned to the estate of our fathers in Judea and Samaria, in Binyamin and the Hevron hills. We returned in order to stay in the inheritance of our fathers and mothers. As Minister for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee in the government of Israel, I'm working to realize this hope, to realize the settlement of every part of the land in general and the Negev and Galilee in particular."