Over 2,000 Israeli students scheduled to take part in visits to the concentration camps in Poland may be stuck at home due to the going strike by Foreign Ministry employees.

In this case the issue is not the students themselves, for those with passports can travel but the travel surrounds the fact the ministry is unwilling to issue diplomatic passports for the security personnel assigned to the group.

In the following weeks, ending August 15, 2013, 26 groups totaling over 2,000 youths are scheduled to leave Israel for trips to Poland. Officials involved in organizing the groups have turned to the Prime Minister’s Office to intervene.

Strike representative Yaakov Livne explains that he is sorrow the work sanctions have been ongoing for a number of months but today, they are no closer to a settlement and therefore, the passports will not be issued. Livne thrusts the blame onto the treasury, explaining when the finance minister decides to take their demands seriously the strike action may end.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)