To mark Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan's visit to Gush Etzion on Thursday, Arutz Sheva spoke with Gush Etzion Regional Council head David Perl and Zionist activist Nadia Matar.

Perl welcomed Ben-Dahan to the region, calling him a "deep friend of ours" who's always "looking how he can help the communities here and what the security situation in the area is."

"We believe that his visit here will help him to understand more about what's happening here and to put into the discussion between the prime minister and defense minister more views and more details about [our] needs and what we want to achieve in the area."

"We believe he will help us as he helps Jews in other areas he used to be involved in," Perl added. 

Matar also welcomed Ben-Dahen, thanking him for visiting the Oz Ve'Gaon Nature Preserve - established in honor of the three boys abducted and murdered by Palestinian terrorists last June. 

The activist recounted how the area had been turned from essentially an Arab garbage dump "into a beautiful educational and tourist site" visited by 20,000 youths during the last year.

"Rabbi Eli Cen-Dahan is one of the many, many ministers, public figures and Knesset members who have visited here and we call upon all of Am Yisrael (the Jewish people) to come, to show a presence 500 meters from where the boys were kidnapped," Matar said. 

"The Arab terrorists cherish death and destruction and we the Jews have shown we cherish construction and life. And life is here in Oz Ve'Gaon. Come and visit," Matar urged.