In the future, the Education Ministry intends to hold tours for students and youth movement members to Homesh, Israel Hayom has learned. In response to the newspaper's inquiry about the denial of entry of members of the religious youth movement "Ariel" to a community evacuated during the Disengagement, the ministry revealed that they intend to allow tours to the community that was recently approved for Israelis to return to it.
The Ariel youth movement requested a special trip to the Homesh area, but did not receive approval from the Ministry of Education. This is a trip intended for boys aged 18-16 who are intended for leadership in the movement. For this reason, as is customary, the youth movement contacted the Ministry of Education's coordination center, but there they responded negatively to the movement's request. "We do not recognize that the law is different, the Ministry of Education needs to give instructions on the matter, the Situation Room also needs to receive instructions from the Ministry of Education," said the Teva Center – Coordination and Approval of a Trip to the Ariel Movement.
Already today, the managers have a choice of hundreds of routes to which they can exit, some of which are located beyond the Green Line, such as Rachel's Tomb or the Cave of the Patriarchs. The patrols, if carried out, will take place under heavy security and possibly even bulletproof buses, which will increase the costs of such a tour. This is not the only complexity, the legal reform has already created controversies in the education system, and such a decision, which appeals to Education Minister Yoav Kish's right-wing base, is likely to encounter harsh criticism in the general education system.
The establishment of the new Homesh Yeshiva, photo: TPS
It should be noted that the question of whether Israelis are allowed to immigrate to Homesh is still controversial. Two months ago, the Knesset approved the repeal of the Disengagement Law in northern Samaria in its second and third readings, and last week Israel Hayom reported that the OC Central Command had signed the order allowing Israelis to stay in Homesh, but this is not the end of the matter. An IDF closure order prohibits Israelis from ascending to the community destroyed during the disengagement, and the entrance gate is closed to random Israelis. Every immigration to the settlement requires the approval of the IDF.
The Education Ministry confirmed in response to Israel Hayom that the IDF has not yet received instructions on the matter and therefore cannot approve tours of students and trainees to Homesh, but revealed that the intention is to promote such tours in the future.
"In light of the change in legislation, the Ministry of Education intends to allow tours of Homesh as they currently take place in the rest of Judea and Samaria," the Education Ministry said in response to Israel Hayom. According to them, "All Ministry of Education trips throughout the country, and in Judea and Samaria in particular, are conditional on police and military guidelines, in order to enable an appropriate security envelope. The Education Ministry is waiting for IDF instructions on the matter and will act accordingly."
Participated in the preparation of the article: Noam (Dabol) Dvir
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