Ayalon: FM cadets will be required to visit Hebron

Following plan to bring students to Cave of Patriarchs, Deputy FM says move will show Israel's "right to presence in Judea and Samaria."

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Danny Ayalon 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
Danny Ayalon 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon on Wednesday said that each ambassador that is appointed to a position in the Foreign Ministry and each cadet undergoing training at the Ministry will be required to visit the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, as well as other sites classified as "Jewish heritage" places in the West Bank.
Speaking at the Knesset, Ayalon said that the move was decided on in order to avoid "an apologetic explanation, and to clarify that we have a right to have a presence in Hebron and in Judea and Samaria."
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Ayalon's announcement came after Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced a new program last week through which thousands of school pupils would visit Hebron and the Cave of the Patriarchs every year.
Gush Shalom activist and former MK Uri Avneri criticized Ayalon's plan, saying he "thinks he's competing with Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar, but he's actually competing with the insanity of Gaddafi."
Avneri referred to Ayalon's announcement as "a pathetic attempt to legitimize the settlements that only serves to damage the chances for peace and Israel's standing in the world."