Israel’s Education Ministry is planning on organizing student trips and youth group visits to Homesh, the former Israeli town evacuated during the 2005 Gaza Disengagement. According to a report by Israel Hayom Tuesday morning, the Education Ministry, headed by Yoav Kisch (Likud), is planning to allow organized group visits of Homesh by schools and youth movements, like the Ariel religious youth movement. Ariel reported that it had initially been turned down after seeking to organize a trip to Homesh for 16-18 year-olds. The group was told that the Education Ministry has not yet updated its directives, following the lifting of the ban on Israelis visiting Homesh. The Ministry of Education confirmed that they have not yet received instructions from the IDF on the matter, so they are unable to approve tours for students to Homesh. However, they revealed that the ministry plans to promote such tours in the future. "Considering the change in legislation, it is the intention of the Ministry of Education to allow tours in Homesh, similar to those currently taking place in other areas of Judea and Samaria,” a ministry spokesperson said. “All of the Ministry of Education's tours throughout the country, and in Judea and Samaria in particular, are subject to police and military guidelines to provide appropriate security measures. The Ministry of Education is awaiting IDF instructions on the matter and will act accordingly.” Homesh was one of four Israeli towns in northern Samaria evacuated during the August 2005 Disengagement Plan, and has since been resettled by Israeli activists multiple times. Earlier this year , the Knesset repealed the ban on traveling to Homesh, which the army commander in charge of Judea and Samaria ratified earlier this month . On Monday , the yeshiva in Homesh relocated to a new building on state land, with the government’s blessing.
