Hotovely: Foreign Ministry cadets to tour settlements

Dana Somberg/Maariv Hashavua
jpost.com

"It is important that ambassadors be able to deal with the challenge of the boycott of Israel and the delegitimization of our right to self-defense," says deputy FM.

Hotovely image from article

Foreign Ministry cadets that begin their training course on Sunday will now also tour settlements and study about their legality, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely's instructions.

The additions to the prestigious course were formulated together with Foreign Ministry Director-General Dore Gold, and are meant to provide the new ambassadors with the tools to deal with topical challenges to Israel's public diplomacy efforts.

It should be noted that cadets learn about all parts of Israeli society during the course.

"Cadets that begin the course today are intended to become the vanguard of Israel's foreign affairs. The goal of the cadet course is to train the young diplomats in Israel's various complex fronts around the world," said Hotovely.

"It is important that ambassadors be able to deal with the challenge of the boycott of Israel and the delegitimization of our right to self-defense that is linked to the fundamental issues of the connection of the Jewish people to its land, while emphasizing the branding of Israel as trailblazing country whose entrepreneurship and technological solutions contribute to humanity," she added.

Among other things, the cadets will focus on international boycott of Israel, and will study about international law regarding the legality of the settlements and about the law of war in light of Israel's war on terror and the defense of Israel on issues of ethics and warfare.

Some additions will be made to the course's study tours. New destinations will include the Ir David site in Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley, and the Barkan industrial zone in Samaria, which is meant to shed light on the issue of Palestinians and Israelis working side by side.

Cadets are also due to undergo lectures on the topic of "Tikkun Olam" ("repairing the world") and the universal messages of Judaism during the six-month course.