The Return to Bet-El
Yaakov's return to Bet-El - the site where he received his very first "hitgalut" some twenty years earlier - marks the prophetic 'highlight' of his return to Eretz Canaan. It was at Bet-El where God first informed Yaakov that he is indeed the 'chosen' son (see 28:12-14), and it was at Bet-El where God had promised to look after his needs during his journey to Lavan.

[Recall from our shiur on Parshat Lech L'cha that Bet-El was also the focal point of Avraham's "aliyah," where he built a mizbayach and 'called out in God's Name.']

Now, upon his return, God appears unto Yaakov once again. Let's take a look at these psukim, noting how God not only confirms his "bechira" but also changes his name to Yisrael:

"And God appeared again to Yaakov on his arrival from Padan Aram, and blessed him: You, whose name is Yaakov, shall be called Yaakov no more, but Yisrael shall be your name. Thus He named him Yisrael and God said to him: I am Kel Shaddai, be fertile and increase ... The land that I have given to Avraham and Yitzchak I give to you and to your offspring to come..." (35:9-16)

Considering that this is the last time in Sefer Breishit where God confirms the "bechira" [i.e. the blessing of "zera and aretz" - see 12:1-7, 13:14-16, 15:18, 17:7-8, 26:1-5, 28:13], we can conclude that there must be a thematic connection between this name change to Yisrael and the conclusion of the "bechira" process! (See Board #1.)

To understand why specifically this name - Yisrael - was chosen, we must return to the first event when Yaakov received this name, i.e. after emerging victorious from his struggle with the "mal'ach."