Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) was joined by Gush Etzion Regional Council head Davidi Perl on Monday in a visit to the region of Judea south of Jerusalem.
The visit began at the Oz vaGaon Nature Preserve where Hotovely met with Nadia Matar and Yehudit Katsover, the leaders of the Women in Green movement.
The Deputy Minister viewed a video about the site and expressed excitement at the educational activity happening there.
From there, Hotovely traveled to the "Beit Bracha" compound, making her the first representative of the government to visit the site.
Hotovely stressed that these are the policies of the government - to continue building Jewish communities in Israel and to create a continuous presence, especially in Gush Etzion which has a proud heritage.
Perl noted that the Deputy Foreign Minister's visit is "a positive start to advancing [Israeli] sovereignty (over Judea-Samaria - ed.)"
"We believe that those who try to kill us and cause panic will understand that we are here to stay," he stressed. "All that remains is to apply sovereignty, something that will be a fatal blow to all terrorists."
"Hotovely's arrival shows support for residents and brings strength to an important settlement," Perl added. "We urge everyone who wants to promote sovereignty to join and realize that this is the only way we will defeat terrorism."