Israel on Sunday inaugurated the Gvaot Forest Scenic Route (Derech Nof Gvaot) in Gush Etzion in a ceremony attended by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and other government officials.
The 4.3 mile trail, Judea and Samaria’s longest scenic route to date, was paved through the heart of Gvaot Forest, planted in the 1980s by the Jewish National Fund.
The project was initiated by the Gush Etzion Regional Council and executed in partnership with and funded by the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Settlement Directorate and the Civil Administration.
The route “offers breathtaking views, forest serenity, and the options of hiking, cycling, or driving,” according to a Gush Etzion Regional Council statement.
Smotrich commended the occasion, saying, “The 2025 settlement revolution is the biggest since 1967.”
Derech Nof Gvaot “is not only a stunning natural experience, but also another link in the normalization of settlement and, most importantly, a significant step in land preservation. We are investing in settlement—in infrastructure, tourism and connecting Israeli citizens to the Land of Israel,” he continued.
He went on to say that the government is advancing plans for 3,600 housing units in Gush Etzion, as well as the establishment of five new communities, accelerated road infrastructure development and the declaration of thousands of acres as state land.
Civil Administration Director Brig. Gen. Hisham Ibrahim noted that tens of thousands of Israelis came to hike in the Gush Etzion area over the Passover holiday “despite a complex security reality.”
He lauded the efforts of the Israeli security forces for managing to provide “maximum security for hikers and local residents” and commemorated the unit’s efforts to benefit “this wonderful region.”
Gush Etzion Regional Council Head Yaron Rosenthal said, “This is exactly our grand vision—that teenagers, families and adults will roam freely throughout the vast Gvaot Forest, beyond fences, like free people, as befits the sons and daughters of this land.”
