Israel mulls NIS 500M 'heritage' trails that reach into West Bank

the pals couldn't leave Israel quickly enough after Israel was reborn in 1948. They made a very bad decision, ( for them) to leave Israel until the Jews were gone, which they thought would be soon. They bet their lives, fortunes, land, ( upon which they squatted) and future on a false premise. Israel doesn't take orders from her enemies. never has, never will. You can rant til the sun don't shine, nothing changes and especially for the defeated, humiliated, welfare taking pals.

hundreds of thousands of Jews were persecuted from most of the Arab/Muslim world. Jews ran much of the textile industry in Baghdad for example. They also owned land 4 times the size of Israel. Still own part of southern lebanon and Jordan. You obviously have no interest in knowing the truth and have an open agenda. Iran is one of the only places which was good to the Jews. a few decades later the government was overthrown. All Jewish sites were destroyed in East jerusalem and Jordan under Jordanian occupation. Look at Josephs tomb and what the Palestinians did there. There are thousands of Jewish heritage sites throughout the region destroyed by Arab leaders. Again learn you facts or don't bother speaking.

Sure Michael,Israel will especially preseve the carcass of the flying horse that landed at the farthest mosque...LOL

This is the kind of crap that proves what the REAL position of Israel's government is. We are constantly fed crap about wanting peace and being willing to negotiate (except for the arabs refusing, twaddle, twaddle) and then we read about 'Heritage' trails. I love the concept until it hits the point where it shows the lies. 'that reach into West Bank.' Why does Israel find it impossible to be honest? It is not only dishonest with the world, it is dishonest with itself. This is not sound and sane behavior. Better to just out with the truth. There is no interest in peace if it will prevent the inclusion of all of Judea and Samaria in the national heritage. Is that too hard to say? Is it too hard to be honest? What is wrong with being honest? Trying to espouse and defend a patently dishonest argument is just demeaning and degrading. Better to be honest.

"Israel is one of the most multi-cultural places in the world." -- except that only Jews have special rights, are not subject to the law of abandonment and are not frequently denied the equal protection of law. Israel may be multi-cultural, but not in a good or tolerant way. Since the reform of S. Africa, Israel is the most openly racially discriminatory country in the world. It is not even possible for non-Jews to marry Jews in Israel.

I and most other human rights advocates have never denied Jewish history. What we deny is its relevance. The Jews conquered the Canaanites, the Romans conquered the Jews, then came the Arabs, Turks and Brits. The Israelites are only one of many peoples who conquered and ruled this area. Jewish history proves that they are not indigenous to the region. What makes their connection to this land so special? Only their religion. The Romans/Italians have just as good of a claim to France as the Jews have to the WB or other land not taken in 1948 before the advent of enlightened international law. Israel exists because it was conquered in 1948 in accordance with the then prevailing laws and customs of war (except for denying return to refugees). Those laws of war changed soon afterward and only the Jews want to return to the bad old days when might made right. Of course, this was not their opinion when they were a relatively weak minority.

You're comparing apples and oranges. The analog to ousted Jews is the hundreds of thousands of Pal refugees forced out of Israel and not allowed to return like all other war refugees since the 19th century. Does Israel commemorate them? No way. It stole their property and gave it to its own people. The Zionists are the ones that started ousting of people by race in the M.E., as shown by the fact that so many Jews lived in arab countries until the Naqba. Had the arabs started the process, it would have started before 1950. Had arabs treated Jews like Jews treat Pals, the Jews would have left of their own accord. The only reason the Zionists let a few token Pals stay in Israel was the strenuous objection of the Western Democracies (mainly Britain and the US) to the ongoing ethnic cleansing circa 1948. Had the Zionists refused, Britain, the US and the UN would probably not have recognized Israel and it would not exist today.

I think it's great that Israel wants to create historical trails for its citizens. There are many extremely important historical and religious sites in Israel. But this sounds, to some extent, like another Israeli scheme to steal more WB land. Israel has no right to build any such trails outside its own country without agreement and cooperation with the people living there. No one in the world but Israelis and other Zionist individuals (no countries) believe that Israel includes even a single square inch of the West Bank. The world has very explicitly rejected the purported annexation of E Jerusalem, so it is only an Israeli fantasy. Jimmie Carter, W Bush and others have made references to some settlements persisting after peace is made, but only in the context of land swaps in which Israel gives some of its land to the Pals in exchange for all WB settlement land remaining under Israeli control. Would Israel agree to a Pal Naqba trail inside Israel? I think not.

Honestly, go through Israel's arab towns and there arent any museums, old buildings, and the rest of cool stuff that makes up 'heritage'. Name the famous Palestinian poets, epic works...show me the galleries...they simply dont exist.I know, the Haaretz readership will blame it on apartheid, occupation, yada, yada, broken record.

If Israel is indeed the birthplace of Christianity, where is your voice protesting the Jewish nature of Israel versus the Jewish/Christian nature of Israel? BTW, please read US State Dept report on Israeli protection and maintenance (or lack thereof) of Christian and Muslim heritage sites in Israel.

"Heritage trails" mark PA borders" Twaddle. Israel's BORDERS are the same as they were May 14th 1948. Israel has never legally annexed any territories and it is illegal to acquire territory by war. http://wp.me/PDB7k-Y

Where is Hevron, Beit El, and Shilo at the very least???? Any heritage trail that leaves out such places is falling well short of a true Jewish heritage trail. I applaud the attempt, but lets not forget our real Jewish roots.

The independent PA state will be inside the "heritage trails". That's all their getting. Take it or leave it. No more taking crap from the PA "negotiators". Notice weapons smuggling route to Jordan is physically cut off, Israel retaining the waterless, barren, uninhabited (except by Israelis) Rift Valley strip, which is the way it will stay.

I just can't believe it!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a brilliant, sensitive idea, just calculated to re-assure Palestinians that the occupation is temporary!. To much too expect a heritage trail in Israel for Palestinians who might want to discover their roots in Jaffa or other former Arab towns, some of them, of course, demolished.

So typical.... The Israeli government, funded by its citizens, will support "heritagetrails" using taxes collected from it's Arab citizens. And Jonatan objects? Great, Yonny -YOU pay for it and not force Israeli (non-Jewish) citizens from paying for humilation.

The Israel National trail passes through many Islamic, Christian and Druze places. Many of these places are well preserved, the government allots money to these projects, too. In fact, Israel is one of the most multi-cultural places in the world.

Thankyou Michael for articulating commonsense. This venture would be an exciting initiative if it didn't appear to obliterate Palestinian history. As it is, it just seems to be another way of claiming and securing the dominant narrative.

nothing but a mud slinging contest. Each side is entrenched in their belief and hold the position of 'don't confuse me with facts'. How sad.

Yes israel has an amazing muslim heritage as well as an amazing christian heritage. I want to learn about all three major heritages, but who will pay for their preservation

A favorite weapon of the sworn enemy. Attempts to deny Israel's legacy as biblical, historic, cultural homeland of Jewish people, and birthplace of christianity. Attempts of the Iranian putz, and others, to simply deny history, will certainly be countered by compiling and publicizing documented history of the land of Israel for all to see, and understand. And silencing the sworn enemy, the REAL thieves, of their self serving denials, and attmepts to change history.

First I'm sick of hearing that Arabs kicked out jews.. Do you have a hostorical evidence. The jews left Arab countries out of their own free will to make Aliyah to pathetic Israel. Moreover, Jewsish Holy of historical sites are protected and taken care of even in Iran. Expand your horizons beyong hate.

Jews have probably done more than any other group to create today's western multi-cultural societies in, for instance, France, the UK and the US, because they did not like being treated as minorities. That's great, but it seems ironic, don't you think Yonatan, that in Israel, many Zionists seem to be attempting to build a mainly mono-cultural society? Do you support a muult-cultural society in the UK, and a mono-cultural society in Israel? If so, why?

this is why Israel will suffer again. Keep put hatread in people and let see how long country will stand by Israel! Is many like me we are fed up of israel Goverment!

When the arab states consider incorporating Jewish heritage sites - to commemorate the 800000 Jews they kicked out in the 1950s - then Israel will reciprocate. Until then, the answer is DEFINITELY NOT.

Israel has an amazing Jewish past but it also has an amazing Islamic past. Netanyahu could bring in additional tourists and reach out to Israel's Arab cittizens, by making Israel's Islamic heritage a major part of government-promoted schemes. Hard to see Bibi's extremist government ever doing that, but it would be nice, and indeed make sense in all sorts of ways. But then when did Bibi ever do anything that was nice and made sense?

If there is any public fund, it should be used for improving the education of our next generation. There are too many teen problems in this country now. If the government does not take it seriously, the problems will multiply.