Kfar Etzion was founded as one of four settlements in 1943, all destroyed by the Jordanian Arab League in 1948. At the beginning of Israel’s war of Independence, 240 Jewish soldiers fell in a bloody battle in Gush Etzion, while 260 survivors were taken captive by the Arabs. Prime Minister Ben Gurion eulogized the defenders of Gush Etzion and their couragic stand against the Arab Legion stating, “I can think of no battle in the annals of the Israel Defense Forces which was more magnificent, more tragic or more heroic than the struggle for Gush Etzion … If there exists a Jewish Jerusalem, our foremost thanks go to the defenders of Gush Etzion” After the six days war in 1967, the descendants of Gush Etzsion, rebuilt the area, including Kfar Etzion. Today, there are fourteen communities in the Gush Etzion bloc.