By Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz February 24, 2020 , 4:24 pm
Netanyahu was accompanied by Defense Minister Naftali Bennett, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely, and Minister of Culture and Sport Miri Regev. Led by Rabbi Hillel Horowitz, the head of the regional council of Hebron, the politicians recited Psalms 121, Psalms 130 (as seen in the video), and recited the Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel.
Sara Netanyahu performed the Jewish custom of lighting candles at the tomb of her namesake, the Biblical matriarch Sarah.
Hebron spokesman Noam Arnon took part in the ceremony which he saw as hugely significant.
“Four members of the government were in Hebron yesterday,” Arnon told Breaking Israel News. “I am seeing that every day, the nation of Israel understands more and more that our right to this land comes directly from our matriarchs and patriarchs that are buried here in Hebron.”
“It should be noted that Likud is not defined as a ‘religious party.’ They are for a strong Israel and identify as Jewish but their visit here, as their visits in the past, highlights that they understand the significance of the Machpela (Cave of the Patriarchs. This isn’t exclusively a religious message. This is a message of roots and nationhood.”
