Highway 65 is a major highway in northern

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. It connects Hadera with the

Galilee Galilee (; he, הַגָּלִיל, hagGālīl; ar, الجليل, al-jalīl) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Galilee traditionally refers to the mountainous part, divided into Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and Lower Galil ...

. This road is the shortest and simplest way to connect these two major regions. Historically, people traveled on or near this route for thousands of years from the coastal plain to reach the Galilee, and beyond it the Golan, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan (''see'' Via Maris). In the

1949 Armistice Agreements The 1949 Armistice Agreements were signed between Israel and Egypt,Wadi Ara Wadi Ara ( ar, وادي عارة, he, ואדי עארה) or Nahal 'Iron ( he, נחל עירון), is a valley and its surrounding area in Israel populated mainly by Arab Israelis. The area is also known as the "Northern Triangle". Wadi Ara is ...

for this reason. The road passes by many Arab villages and cities but few Jewish habitations in

Nahal Iron Wadi Ara ( ar, وادي عارة, he, ואדי עארה) or Nahal 'Iron ( he, נחל עירון), is a valley and its surrounding area in Israel populated mainly by Arab Israelis. The area is also known as the "Northern Triangle". Wadi Ara is ...

. In October 2000, at the beginning of the

Second Intifada The Second Intifada ( ar, الانتفاضة الثانية, ; he, האינתיפאדה השנייה, ), also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada ( ar, انتفاضة الأقصى, label=none, '), was a major Palestinian uprising against Israel. ...

, the road was blocked by local Palestinian protesters. For security reasons Highway 70, which runs parallel to the north of Highway 65, has been improved. The northern section of the highway, between Golani and Nahal Amud (nearby Kadarim) is a freeway.

Path of Highway 65 from southwest to northeast

The road begins in the coastal plain near Hadera and

Caesarea Caesarea () ( he, קֵיסָרְיָה, ), ''Keysariya'' or ''Qesarya'', often simplified to Keisarya, and Qaysaria, is an affluent town in north-central Israel, which inherits its name and much of its territory from the ancient city of Caesare ...

. Its western terminus is Highway 2. After

Pardes Hana-Karkur Pardes Hanna-Karkur ( he, פַּרְדֵּס חַנָּה-כַּרְכּוּר) is a town in the Haifa District of Israel. In it had a population of . History An Arab village named Karkur had stood at this location by the time the Palestine E ...

, the road is colloquially known as "

Wadi Ara Wadi Ara ( ar, وادي عارة, he, ואדי עארה) or Nahal 'Iron ( he, נחל עירון), is a valley and its surrounding area in Israel populated mainly by Arab Israelis. The area is also known as the "Northern Triangle". Wadi Ara is ...

road", passing through

Iron Valley Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in front ...

and Umm el-Fahm. Afterward the road intersects Highway 66 at

Megiddo junction The Megiddo Junction (, ''Tzomet Megido'') is an intersection of Highways 65 and 66 in northern Israel, at the exit from the mountain pass coming up through Wadi Ara into the Jezreel Valley. It is named for the nearby ruins of the biblical cit ...

. From this point to Afula the road crosses the southern part of the Jezreel Valley. This section is widely known as "Kvish HaSargel" (in English: "Ruler Road") as its route is as flat and straight as a ruler. It then passes by

Afula Illit Afula ( he, עפולה Arabic: العفولة) is a city in the Northern District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley" due to its strategic location in the Jezreel Valley. As of , the city had a population of . Afula's ancient ...

, and turns directly north until crossing Highway 77 at

Golani Interchange Golani Interchange (), known as Maskana Junction in Arabic, is a key road interchange in the Lower Galilee region of northern Israel, located east of Haifa and west of Tiberias, at the intersection of highways 65 and 77. The Golani Brigade Muse ...

. It continues to its northeast terminus at

Nahal Amud Nahal Amud ( he, נחל עמוד), also known as the Wadi al-Amud, is a stream in the Upper Galilee region of Israel that flows into the Sea of Galilee. History The source of the stream, Ramat Dalton, is located 800 meters above sea level. Its d ...

junction, where it meets

Highway 85 The following highways are numbered 85. International * AH85, Asian Highway 85 * European route E85 Australia * Goldfields Way, New South Wales * Flinders Island, Tasmania * Queensland State Route from Bribie Island to Nindigully, with sections ...

Improvements

The long term plans are for the entire highway to be converted to a freeway, including a new bypass section just north of Afula. Given the extremely high cost of the overall effort required (estimated at nearly NIS 3.5 billion, equivalent to almost US$1 billion), this will be implemented in phases, with work on the Afula–Golani section expected to be implemented first as it is the only section of the road which still consists of only two lanes. Construction on this section is expected to begin by 2019.

Path of Highway 65 from southwest to northeast

Improvements

See also