Highway 65 is a major highway in northern
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
. It connects
the coastal plainThe Israeli Coastal Plain is the narrow coastal plain along Israel's Mediterranean Sea coast which houses 70% of the country's population...
with the
GalileeGalilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country...
.
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 MarisVia Maris is the modern name for an ancient trade route, dating from the early Bronze Age, linking Egypt with the northern empires of Syria, Anatolia and Mesopotamia — modern day Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria....
). In the
1949 Armistice AgreementsThe 1949 Armistice Agreements are a set of agreements signed during 1949 between Israel and neighboring Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. The agreements ended the official hostilities of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and established armistice lines between Israel and the Jordanian-held West Bank,...
Israel received the portion of this road in
Wadi AraWadi Ara or Nahal Iron , refers to an area within Israel that is mostly populated by Arabs. It is located northwest of the Green Line and is mostly within Israel's Haifa District. Originally captured by Arab League forces in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, it was ceded to Israel in an apparent...
for this reason.
The road passes by many Arab villages and cities but few Jewish habitations in Nahal Iron.
Highway 65 is a major highway in northern
IsraelIsrael officially the State of Israel , is a developed state in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its...
. It connects
the coastal plainThe Israeli Coastal Plain is the narrow coastal plain along Israel's Mediterranean Sea coast which houses 70% of the country's population...
with the
GalileeGalilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country...
.
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 MarisVia Maris is the modern name for an ancient trade route, dating from the early Bronze Age, linking Egypt with the northern empires of Syria, Anatolia and Mesopotamia — modern day Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria....
). In the
1949 Armistice AgreementsThe 1949 Armistice Agreements are a set of agreements signed during 1949 between Israel and neighboring Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. The agreements ended the official hostilities of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and established armistice lines between Israel and the Jordanian-held West Bank,...
Israel received the portion of this road in
Wadi AraWadi Ara or Nahal Iron , refers to an area within Israel that is mostly populated by Arabs. It is located northwest of the Green Line and is mostly within Israel's Haifa District. Originally captured by Arab League forces in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, it was ceded to Israel in an apparent...
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 an Arab mob. For security reasons
Highway 70Highway 70 is a highway in the coastal plain and Western Galilee in northern Israel. It connects the region of Zikhron Ya'akov to the Lower Galilee and to Kiryat Ata and Shlomi near Israel's border with Lebanon.-Description of the route:...
, which runs parallel to the north of Highway 65, has been improved.
Path of Highway 65 from southwest to northeast
The road begins in the coastal plain near
HaderaHadera is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel approximately from the major cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa. The city is located along off the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain...
and Caesarea. Its western terminus is
Highway 2{Infobox Israel highway|| image= ISR-HW2.png| highway= 2| hebrew=|-| align="center" | 5| align="center" | מחלף רבין
| align="center" | | align="center" |
Named afterYitzhak Rabin...
. After Pardes Hana-Karkur, the road becomes "
Wadi AraWadi Ara or Nahal Iron , refers to an area within Israel that is mostly populated by Arabs. It is located northwest of the Green Line and is mostly within Israel's Haifa District. Originally captured by Arab League forces in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, it was ceded to Israel in an apparent...
road", passing through Iron Valley and Umm el-Fahm. Afterward the road crosses
Highway 66Highway 66 is a north-south highway in the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel. It extends along the eastern lowlands below the Menashe Hills and the Carmel. It is 20 km long. In the past the road continued south to Jenin, but today it ends at Ta'anakh junction....
at
Megiddo junctionThe Megiddo Junction is an intersection of Highways 65 and 66 in northern Israel, located near kibbutz Megiddo. A major landmark is a large prison . Nearby are the sites of some ancient battles of Megiddo and the ruins of Megiddo .The five kilometre stretch of Highway 65 east towards Afula is...
, and becomes "HaSargel" Road until the city of
AfulaAfula is a city in the North District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley", referring to the Jezreel Valley. The city had a population of 39,200 at the end of 2007.-History:...
. It then passes by Afula Illit, and turns directly north until crossing
Highway 77Highway 77 is an east-west highway in northern Israel. It crosses the Lower Galilee in the region of Beit Netofa Valley. The road leads from Yishai junction next to Ramat Yishai to Tiberias...
at
GolaniGolani may refer to:*Golani Brigade, an Israeli infantry brigade*Golani Family, an Indian royal family*Golani Junction, a location in Israel*Rivka Golani , a Canadian violist* Golani, anti-communist protestors, from the Romanian Golaniad...
junction. It continues to its northeast terminus at Nahal Amud junction, where it meets
Highway 85Highway 85 is an east-west highway in northern Israel. It is one of the most important roads through the Galilee, connecting the western Galilee with the eastern Galilee...
.