Israel has launched its first project under the new “Biblical Trails in Judea and Samaria” initiative, a large-scale regional tourism development program, Israel’s Tourism Ministry said on Wednesday.
The “Joshua Trail,” whose costs totaled 3.2 million shekels (~$1 million), is the first stage of the project. It offers an accessible tourism promenade and a suspension bridge connecting the Elon Moreh Heritage Center with the summit of the Mount Kabir Nature Reserve, according to the ministry.
Visitors will be able to learn about the historical and biblical heritage associated with the area, located east of Nablus, biblical Shechem, in Samaria.
The trail was inaugurated on Tuesday with a cornerstone ceremony in the community of Elon Moreh, attended by Israeli Tourism Minister Haim Katz, Israeli Heritage Minister Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu and Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, among other local community and institutional leaders.
“In Samaria, the story is found on the ground, in the places where the events that shaped our history took place,” said Katz.
“Developing tourism is part of building the country. Every trail we develop and every site we make accessible connects more people to the area, strengthens settlement and generates growth. Samaria can and should become Israel’s Tuscany. It has landscapes, vineyards, wineries, history and heritage that cannot be found anywhere else,” the statement continued.
Dagan in the ceremony hailed the completion of the “Joshua Trail,” saying that it embodies “another moving step in building the country,” according to the ministry.
The broader project is being led in a cooperative effort by the tourism and heritage ministries, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, the Samaria Regional Council, the Judea and Samaria Regional Cluster and the Elon Moreh Heritage Center.
