Highway 65 is a major highway in northern Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

. It connects Hadera

Hadera

Hadera 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 of the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain...

 with the Galilee

Galilee

Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...

.
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

Via 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 Agreements

1949 Armistice Agreements

The 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 Israeli forces and the forces in...

 Israel received the portion of this road in Wadi Ara

Wadi Ara

Wadi 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. Today, Highway 65 runs through the wadi.-Geography:...

 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 70

Highway 70 (Israel)

Highway 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 Hadera

Hadera

Hadera 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 of the Israeli Mediterranean Coastal Plain...

 and Caesarea. Its western terminus is Highway 2

Highway 2 (Israel)

Highway 2 is an Israeli highway located on the coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea. It stretches from Tel Aviv to Haifa. The highway is also called The Coastal Highway or The New Haifa - Tel Aviv Highway ....

. After Pardes Hana-Karkur, the road is colloquially known as "Wadi Ara

Wadi Ara

Wadi 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. Today, Highway 65 runs through the wadi.-Geography:...

 road", passing through Iron Valley and Umm el-Fahm. Afterward the road intersects Highway 66

Highway 66 (Israel)

Highway 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 junction

Megiddo Junction

The 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...

. From this point to Afula

Afula

Afula 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 40,500 at the end of 2009.-History:...

 the road crosses the southern part of the Jezreel Valley

Jezreel Valley

-Etymology:The Jezreel Valley takes its name from the ancient city of Jezreel which was located on a low hill overlooking the southern edge of the valley, though some scholars think that the name of the city originates from the name of the clan which founded it, and whose existence is mentioned in...

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

Ruler

A ruler, sometimes called a rule or line gauge, is an instrument used in geometry, technical drawing, printing and engineering/building to measure distances and/or to rule straight lines...

. It then passes by Afula Illit, and turns directly north until crossing Highway 77

Highway 77 (Israel)

Highway 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 Golani

Golani

Golani may refer to:*Golani Brigade, an Israeli infantry brigade*Golani Family, an Indian royal family*Golani Junction, a location in Israel*Rivka Golani , an Israeli viola player* Golani, anti-communist protestors, from the Romanian Golaniad...

 junction. It continues to its northeast terminus at Nahal Amud junction, where it meets Highway 85

Highway 85 (Israel)

Highway 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...

.