A new 'mechina' pre-military academy will be opened in the mixed Jewish-Arab city of Akko, in northern Israel, next year.

The new school's establishment was finalized by Mayor Shimon Lankry and Micky Nevo, who heads the Maaseh Institute, which will run the institution.

Thirty students are expected to take part in the first session, which will begin in September, 2008. Pre-military academies are for high school graduates who postpone their IDF service for one year and choose to study Jewish history and the geography of the Land of Israel.