Summer camp in Yakir
Summer camp in Samaria: firearm training for 10-year-olds
The Yakir settlement in Samaria runs a summer camp where children who finished in fourth and fifth grade were trained with a M16 rifle; some parents were outraged: 'This is a Hamas camp.' The director of the camp said he had the approval of the IDF: 'we acted with the approval of the security personnel in the town, all in complete safety.'
Boys in fourth and fifth grades in Yakir, an Israeli settlement in West Samaria, underwent weapons training camps at their school.
The girls, meanwhile, underwent "modesty and creativity" activities, involving workshops on hairdressing, manicuring and styling.
According to testimonies, the children were trained with real M16 rifles, although ones lacking the striker (the firing mechanism).
A few parents expressed outrage at the contents of the summer camp, some even calling it a "Hamas camp."
At the summer camp, which was held with the approval of the IDF, dozens of fourth and fifth graders participated under the auspices of the Shomron Regional Council.
The weapons were used as part of an "army day" held at the camp.
In his explanation, the camp director said "we did not receive any calls from (the children's) parents (against it). This was done with the approval of the security personnel in the town. They brought the weapons and everything was conducted in complete safety.
"It was part of an 'army day' in which we taught the children about the subject."
The Shomron Regional Council said in response that "Yakir is a leading community in educational and moral values. As part of the educational activities of the summer camp, an 'army and community day' was held in cooperation with the IDF, just as activities are held to familiarize (children) with the IDF on Independence Day each year."
"The activity in question is one of ten activity stations that also included awareness of Magen David Adom (MDA, Israel's national emergency medical service) activities," Shomron Regional Council added, emphasizing that it "will continue to educate children to values of Zionism, love of the land and values of the IDF without apology."
