The residents of the Samaria town of Itamar responded to the words of Zionist Union chairman Avi Gabbay in which he said that "Gush Etzion and Itamar are not the same thing for us."
"In his repeated attempts to revive the Zionist Union party from the death throes of the left, Avi Gabbay believes that the artificial severance between different parts of the homeland and an attempt to rewrite history will leave his party relevant," the residents said.
"If the chairman of the Zionist Union party would return and read in the history books of our young state, he would not be surprised to discover that 50 years ago all the parts of the homeland were liberated in Judea and Samaria, Gush Etzion and Itamar alike.
"Last summer Itamar grew by more than 15%, and the words of the chairman of the Zionist Unionprove again that today the national task is in Itamar. Itamar has a wide range of residents who enjoy excellent educational institutions and a range of services. Only recently we inaugurated the high-tech park in Itamar and we invite anyone with a Zionist soul to come and set up his home in Itamar," the residents added.
Itamar chairman Hananel Elyakim added, "On Rosh Hashanah we read the prophecy of consolation in the synagogues, 'Again shalt thou plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall have the use thereof (Jeremiah 31: 4).' We in Itamar are engaged in fulfilling this prophecy with our own hands. I invite Mr. Avi Gabbay to visit Itamar, to hold his binoculars properly and see how Itamar, Kfar Etzion, Tel Aviv and the Hermon are one large bloc that can not be cut off. In preparation for the Sukkot holiday, we invite the entire Jewish people to take a tour of Itamar and see how the settlement is flourishing."