Israel's deputy foreign minister said cadets training to become diplomats will now visit the West Bank and be taught how to defend Jewish settlements there. Tzipi Hotovely told Israel's Army Radio on Sunday that she initiated changes in the course curriculum to include a greater emphasis on the Jewish people's ancient links to the land. It will include compulsory tours to the City of David, a Jewish settlement in traditionally Arab East Jerusalem, seized by Israel in the 1967 war. Hotovely said it is important to stress that Jewish settlements are legal "by law and custom." The international community generally considers settlement in lands captured in the 1967 war to be illegal and illegitimate. With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also serving as foreign minister, Hotovely oversees the office's day-to-day operations. Meanwhile, Israel's economy minister resigned on Sunday, opening the way for the government to green light a multibillion dollar gas deal with US energy giant Noble Energy, a statement from the Prime Minister's office said. "Minister (Aryeh) Deri announced to me his intention to quit. In order to proceed with the (offshore gas) agreement the ministry will be transferred to me and I will give the green light," Netanyahu said. A major deal to exploit offshore gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean has been stuck for almost a year due to the objection of the country's anti-trust authority, which warned the agreement could give Noble and its Israeli partner Delek an effective monopoly. It was also held up by Deri's refusal to overrule the authority. Netanyahu, who is already acting foreign minister, will now assume control over the Economy Ministry and press ahead with the deal. "We are making today a big step towards advancing delivery to the state of Israel. Gas is the No. 1 engine for economic growth in Israel for the coming years," Netanyahu said. Israel has been trying to extract and develop offshore gas since the discovery of the Tamar and Leviathan fields in 2009 and 2010. While extraction has begun in Tamar, the far larger Leviathan has been hit by a series of bureaucratic delays.
