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 Hadera ( he, חֲדֵרָה ) is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel, in the northern Sharon region, approximately 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along 7 km (5&nb ...

with the Galilee. 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 Via Maris is one modern name for an ancient trade route, dating from the early Bronze Age, linking Egypt with the northern empires of Syria, Anatolia and Mesopotamia — along the Mediterranean coast of modern-day Egypt, Israel, Turkey and Syr ...

). 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. In October 2000, at the beginning of the Second Intifada, 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

and Caesarea. Its western terminus is Highway 2. After Pardes Hana-Karkur, 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 and

Umm el-Fahm Umm al-Fahm ( ar, أمّ الفحم, ''Umm al-Faḥm''; he, אוּם אֶל-פַחֶם ''Um el-Faḥem'') is a city located northwest of Jenin in the Haifa District of Israel. In its population was , nearly all of whom are Arab citizens of Isr ...

. Afterward the road intersects Highway 66 at Megiddo junction. From this point to

Afula 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 ...

the road crosses the southern part of the

Jezreel Valley The Jezreel Valley (from the he, עמק יזרעאל, translit. ''ʿĒmeq Yīzrəʿēʿl''), or Marj Ibn Amir ( ar, مرج ابن عامر), also known as the Valley of Megiddo, is a large fertile plain and inland valley in the Northern Distr ...

. This section is widely known as "Kvish HaSargel" (in English: "Ruler Road") as its route is as flat and straight as a

ruler A ruler, sometimes called a rule, line gauge, or scale, is a device used in geometry and technical drawing, as well as the engineering and construction industries, to measure distances or draw straight lines. Variants Rulers have long ...

. It then passes by Afula Illit, and turns directly north until crossing Highway 77 at Golani Interchange. It continues to its northeast terminus at Nahal Amud junction, where it meets Highway 85.

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