Training bases headed to Negev

Israel’s main military training base will relocate to the Negev Desert. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s Cabinet on Sunday approved a proposal to move a cluster of training bases in the Tel Aviv suburb of Tzrifin to a new location outside Yeruham. The new base is expected to have a permanent garrison of 11,000 service personnel and to be an economic boon to underprivileged southern desert towns.The relocation was championed by Vice Premier Shimon Peres, whose portfolio includes finding ways of promoting the Negev and Galilee regions.