Gush Etzion (Israel, Judea and Samaria)

Mo'atza Ezorit Gush Etzion, Regional Council Gush Etzion

Last modified: 2026-09-19 by martin karner
Keywords: gush etzion | regional council | mo'atza ezorit gush etzion | judea and samaria | text: hebrew (black) | oak |
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image by Dov Gutterman | 2:3

♦ photo

• Description
• Logo

See also:

• Bethlehem Subdistrict
• Hebron Subdistrict
• Judea and Samaria District
• Subnational Flags (Israel)
• Israel

Description

Regional Council Gush Etzion covers the 'C' areas of the central and east parts of Bethlehem subdistrict and the north part of Hebron subdistrict. Est in 1979 and got 9000 inh. In its region (but not part of it) are Ma'aleh Adummim, Efrata and Betar Illit. The above image is based on the desk flag, so there could be changes when used as a hoisted flag.
Source: photo of the desk flag received from Ralph Phillips.
Dov Gutterman, 11 November 2001

The emblem of Gush Etzion has not been formally adopted. Israeli municipalities in areas occupied since 1967 cannot register their emblems*. Many Israeli laws are in force in those municipalities when adopted there by the military commander, but the Symbols/Emblems Protection Act of 1974 is not one of them.
Dov Gutterman, 19 January 2003
* See remarks

The oak tree is not just a symbolic (etz = tree) but a real oak tree that stands in the center of the gush (block).
The original "Gush Etzion" was made of four isolated kibbutzim (Kefar Etzion (1943), which gave the name to the region, Mesu'ot Yitzhak (1945), Eiz Zurim (1946) and Revadim (1947)) which after long siege by Jordanian forces and lost of hope for reinforcement, surrendered on 14 May 1948 (same day of the independence of Israel) and was completely ruined. The only item that could be seen from pre-1967 border was this tree which became a symbol to the desire of the former settlers to get back to their land.
The Gush was re-established in 1967, and one of its settlements is named "Alon Svut" (Oak of the Return). Today it governs 15 settlements.
As seen at a photo at Wikipedia, the municipal flag is yellow.
Sources: www.kfar-etzion.co.il [retrieved] with photos of the oak, www.gush-etzion-region.muni.il [retrieved] [see also here], and www.etzion-bloc.org.il [not archived].
Dov Gutterman, 12 April 2005

♦ History of Gush Etzion (short) (gush-etzion.org.il, English version [retrieved])
♦ History of Gush Etzion (long) (kfar-etzion.co.il, Hebrew [retrieved] | English translation)

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