Israel launches 'Biblical Highway' amid campaign to erase Jewish history

The Israeli authorities connected Tuesday approved designating Route 60 — the road stretching from Nazareth successful the northbound to Beersheba successful the southbound and passing done immoderate of the astir important sites successful history—as the "Biblical Highway."

The designation is portion of a broader inaugural to make a Route 66-style acquisition for Bible enthusiasts, students and tourists.

The Biblical Highway has existed for much than 4,000 years. Running on Israel’s cardinal upland ridge, the way begins successful Beersheba, the confederate godforsaken metropolis wherever Abraham is said to person established an oasis and taught travelers astir content successful 1 God.

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Bedouin women thrust their donkeys connected Oct. 10, 2013 successful Beersheba, Israel.  (Uriel Sinai/Getty Images))

David Parsons, elder vice president and spokesperson for the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, told Fox News Digital that a due knowing of the Bible tin assistance immunize radical against what helium described arsenic the "virus" of antisemitism.

"You would amended recognize who the Jewish radical are, the peculiar narration God established with them for the payment of each mankind, and the information that this includes a onshore wherever they could go a federation and present those benefits down done history," Parsons said.

"The much you analyse the archaeological grounds successful the Land of Israel, and the much objectively you look astatine the evidence, the much you recognize that the Bible is not a postulation of fables and fairy tales, but an close relationship of a radical and a onshore that person fixed the satellite ideas and values of cosmopolitan payment and inspiration," helium added.

The Cave of the Patriarchs, successful Hebron connected Feb. 23, 2020. (Hazem Bader/AFP via Getty Images)

The roadworthy continues from Beersheba to Hebron, location to the Cave of the Patriarchs, purchased by Abraham immoderate 3,800 years agone and traditionally regarded arsenic the resting spot of the biblical patriarchs and matriarchs. The tract is marked by a monumental operation built by King Herod immoderate 2,000 years ago. Hebron was besides King David’s archetypal capital, wherever helium was crowned king of Israel astir 3,000 years ago.

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The way passes done Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus and wherever Jacob buried the matriarch Rachel and which serves arsenic the mounting of the Book of Ruth, earlier reaching Jerusalem, the superior of modern-day Israel and location to Mount Moriah — the accepted tract of the Binding of Isaac — arsenic good arsenic the determination of the First and Second Temples.

Continuing north, the road reaches Bet El, wherever Jacob, portion fleeing his member Esau, experienced the prophetic imagination of a ladder connecting eden and world and where, 20 years later, helium returned with his household and received the sanction Israel. It past passes done Shiloh, which served arsenic the spiritual halfway of the Israelites for astir 400 years aft their introduction into the Land of Israel.

Orthodox Jews commune connected Mount Gerizim overlooking Joseph's Tomb, 1 of their holiest sites, successful the metropolis of Schechem, besides known arsenic Nablus connected May 28, 2009.  (Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images)

Farther northbound lies Shechem, wherever Joshua is said to person buried the bones of Joseph, which the Israelites carried from Egypt during the Exodus. The way past reaches Mount Tabor, wherever the prophetess Deborah sang her opus of victory, and continues to Megiddo, the tract of galore battles involving the armies of Israel and invading forces passim biblical history, earlier ending successful Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus.

Yishai Fleisher, planetary spokesperson for the Jewish assemblage of Hebron, told Fox News Digital helium has been moving connected the task for galore years.

Dec. 18, 2021 shows a wide presumption of Israel's bluish metropolis of Nazareth and its Catholic Basilica of the Annunciation.  (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty images)

"Finally, the authorities is recognizing it. We person been advocating for this idea, which is akin to different roads astir the world," helium said.

"In Germany, they person the Romantische Straße, oregon Romantic Road. In Spain, they person the Camino de Santiago. And successful the United States, determination is the celebrated Route 66. For us, it’s Route 60, the Biblical Highway.

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"I deliberation it has educational, practice and tourism value," Fleisher continued. "The authorities views the Bible arsenic an important portion of Israel’s identity. We’ve been teaching it, we’ve been promoting it, and they’ve embraced the idea. Ahead of the elections, I deliberation they privation to amusement radical that they are committed to branding Israel arsenic the onshore of the Bible."

The inaugural besides carries value amid what Fleisher described arsenic efforts by the Palestinian Authority to asseverate claims implicit sites of Jewish humanities and biblical heritage.

He said determination person been attempts to "erase" Jewish humanities and biblical narratives, including efforts to reinterpret oregon displace long-held traditions associated with sites specified arsenic the Western Wall, the Temple Mount, Rachel’s Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs.

An Israeli emblem flutters connected the Mount of Olives arsenic the prima rises implicit Jerusalem connected June 13, 2025. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images)

"It makes cleanable consciousness due to the fact that if 1 undermines the biblical practice of Israel and this land, they are undermining the pillars of the Jewish authorities and could regenerate it with a Palestinian one," helium continued. "When we rename Route 60 oregon adhd the sanction ‘Biblical Highway,’ we are strengthening that pillar of our past individuality successful this land. Certainly, radical who bash not privation to spot Israel beryllium question to region that pillar."

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Ze’ev Orenstein, Director of International Affairs astatine City of David, said the inaugural offers visitors an accidental to acquisition biblical past done the geography wherever it unfolded.

"The Biblical Highway volition alteration millions of visitors to bring their faith, heritage, and individuality to beingness by traveling done the precise places wherever the Biblical communicative unfolded and wherever the values that proceed to signifier Western civilization were born," helium told Fox News Digital. "It is an invitation to acquisition the Bible not lone arsenic a book, but arsenic a surviving geography, arsenic applicable contiguous arsenic it was millennia ago."

The West Bank, besides known arsenic Judea and Samaria is location to immoderate 500,000 Israelis.  (Mahmoud Illean/AP)

Parsons noted that determination is besides a King’s Highway successful Jordan that the Israelites traveled along, which is marked arsenic specified by the Jordanians.

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"So Israel is not doing thing antithetic from what Jordan has done connected its side. I don’t deliberation determination is thing peculiarly governmental astir that; it is simply an acknowledgment of humanities truth," helium said.

Israel’s Ministry of Tourism spokesperson told Fox News Digital that it supports the sanction alteration and volition enactment to incorporated "The Biblical Highway" into Israel’s selling and branding materials. Visitor centers, reflection points and multilingual signage are expected to beryllium included.