Jewish-Ethiopian MK, Foreign Ministry Cadets meet at Tomb of Machepla
May 8, 2016
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MK Dr. Avraham Neguise is the latest Israeli official to visit Israel's second holiest city. He Met with Foreign Ministry cadets.

Member of Knesset Dr. Avraham Neguise, the head of the Knesset Absorption Committee and a Jewish-Ethiopian rights activists, toured Hebron this week with his staff and with heads of the Jewish community.

While MK Neguise was at the Tomb of Machpela, ancient burial site of the Biblical Matriarchs and Patriarchs, he spoke with a group of Foreign Ministry cadets who coincidentally came to tour the city at the same time.

(Photo: MK Neguise talks to Foreign Ministry cadets)

"It is so important that you are here," said Dr. Neguise, who had just returned from a public advocacy trip abroad. "I am familiar with the issues that our enemies raise, and so it is important for us to to learn about our roots, so you can be prepared to stand against all obstacles. You are now better equipped to explain the State of Israel, our history, and our connection to this land."

(Photo: MK Neguise with leaders of the Jewish Community of Hebron.)

(Photo: MK Neguise talks to the young men and women who have joined the Foreign Ministry.)

During the tour, MK Neguise was interviewed by Israeli radio on issues pertaining to the Jewish-Ethiopian community. He is discussing the idea of bringing more Ethiopian Jews and other immigrant communities to the city to build a connection with the story of Hebron. "We have to find a special day to bring Ethiopian Jews to the city on a pilgrimage" he said.

The arrival of MK Neguise was preceded a few days earlier by another official, Minister of Science, Technology and Space Ofir Akunis. After taking part in a circumcision ceremony at the Tomb of Machpela, he stated:
"I am finishing a tour of Hebron, city of our fore-mothers and forefather, and I am here at the foot of Tomb of Machepela, the beginnings of the amazing 3800-year-old story of the Jewish people. I have been hearing the recent claims by parts of the international community which deny the ancient connection of the Jewish people to this land. However, no amount of propaganda, and no effort to deny or smudge the basic truth will succeed. We were born in these places, and this is where our fathers walked. We are here to stay, to build, and not to leave. We are here to ensure the growth of places like the Jewish community of Hebron, Kiryat Arba, and all of Judea and Samaria, as well as the Gallil, the Negev, development towns, the coastal plain and the big cities. This is our land, and it is the basic right of a people to their homeland. Our homeland is the land of Israel, and here we will stay."

(Photo: Minister Akunis with leaders of the Jewish Community of Hebron in the Tomb of Machepla complex.)

(Photo: Minister Akunis with IDF soldiers protecting the State of Israel stationed in Hebron.)

(Photo: Minister Akunis in the Museum of Jewish History of Hebron in the Beit Hadassah building.)

Photos and videos of MK Neguise in Hebron
https://goo.gl/photos/cCAWJaiDFamq7EAd9

Photos and video of Miniter Akunis in Hebron
https://goo.gl/photos/jLW3ueTPFJ4hqZMu8

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