February 15, 2006 Jews and Arabs pin tourism hopes on Trail

By Eli Ashkenazi

Yesterday, women in the village of Zalafeh, located south of the Megiddo intersection, stood on their porches watching their children walk to school. It was 7:00 A.M. and the children walking down the road were met by a group of hikers going in the opposite direction. The mothers looked surprised - they were unaccustomed to seeing groups of visitors in their village. But if the tour group's plans come to fruition, many more travelers will be visiting the village over the coming years when it becomes the first village on the "Wadi Ara Trail."

The Wadi Ara Trail will pass along the length of Wadi Ara. Hikers on the trail will pass through Arab villages and Jewish communities, beginning at the Megiddo intersection and passing through Zalafeh, Umm al-Fahm, , , Meisar, and . The 28 kilometer trail will be mainly suited for hikers except for a section designated for bicycles. (see map)

Meeting the residents

The project is one of several initiated by the Wadi Ara Forum, made up of Jewish and Arab leaders. The forum's goal is to promote equality and coexistence between Jewish and Arab populations in the region by means of professional and public collaboration between local councils. The project began in April, 2004, under the professional assistance of the Sikkuy non-profit organization, which promotes equality between Jewish and Arab citizens.

Members of the forum are also collaborating to reduce air pollution in the region and promote tourism within Jewish and Arab settlements. The forum will also establish two jointly operated industrial parks and a collaborative sewage system. Sikkuy’s Youval Tamari, who together with Naief Abu Sharkeia is supervising the program, said, "We presented the general concept of marking a trail in the area to the Jewish National Fund. The JNF requested that the trail traverse communities in the area and create a connection with residents."

A group of local tour guides decided that the Tu Bishvat holiday would be a fitting time to dedicate the trail's concept. Eight members of the group arrived from Arara, , Makzir, the settlement of Mei Ami, and neighboring villages in the Galilee region. Bilal Akal, a tour guide and owner of a touring company in the village of Arara, says that "six routes were evaluated before formulation of the current route which is still not final. I have great expectations for this project. It is possible to form a different type of contact when walking along a trail in nature: You walk, talk, sit, and eat in nature. It is also possible to enter homes along the way."

The group was welcomed by words of praise from council leaders who arrived at the crack of dawn to meet them at the Megiddo intersection. "Lifeblood is stronger than anything else," said Hanan Erez, head of the Megiddo local council. Mohammed Jabarin, head of the Maaleh Iron local council added that he considered the day to be "an important day in the history of the wadi ( river bed)."

At the start of the trail, the noise of cars on the Wadi Ara road, Highway 65, makes it difficult to talk. Walkers quickly leave the road behind to enter the village of Zalafeh and descend into Wadi Swesa. The view is breathtaking: fields, pine groves, olive trees, almond trees, all in full bloom, and wild flowers carpeting both sides of the wadi. Enormous piles of trash along the trail somewhat detract from the beauty of the site. However, as hikers descend deeper into the wadi, the piles of garbage become smaller and fewer in number. It is clear to all that, in addition to clean-up activities which must take place here, the success of the trail relies on the willingness of travelers to make the journey to Wadi Ara and take in the lovely landscapes which surround the villages.

According to Shalgit Hyman, of Mei Ami, a settlement adjoining Umm al- Fahm, "Vacationing visitors who stay in our Bed and Breakfasts do not wish to go out in these surroundings. They prefer to visit the Gilboa and Ramat Menashe but avoid the area around the wadi. We also waited two years before returning to Umm al-Fahm after the October events [of 2000, in which Israeli Arabs in the area rioted]. It may take some time, but in my opinion, it may succeed."

When you leave Wadi Swesa and enter the outskirts of Umm al-Fahm, you see three springs in the entrance to the city, which gave the area its Arabic name of Al Ayun (the springs). The springs might readily provide hikers with a pleasant place to rest. Unfortunately, one of the springs is dry and the seating built next to a second spring has been destroyed. Between these two sits a well-maintained spring, cared for by a nearby resident.

From the spring, the group climbed the steep, winding trail to the top of Mt. Alexander, the highest spot in Umm al-Fahm. A group of eighth-graders from the Wadi Al-Nasur School waited there to talk to the hikers.

"We want to play a role in developing the trail," said their teacher, Misra Younis. "The trail will be included in 'Knowledge of ' lessons and will contribute to the pupils' education." Younis considers the project to be "an opportunity to introduce residents of the nation to a new aspect of the region which they have yet to encounter."

From Umm al-Fahm, the hikers passed through Wadi Sraya, and Ein a-Sahla on their way to Katzir where a local group of children waited for them. Sikkuy

2 co-executive director Shuli Dichter called hiking the trail, "a pioneering act." Tamari asked the children to, "tell your parents about the trail. You can take advantage of it to hike."

Mohammed Diabseh, of Baka al-Garbiyeh, waited at the observation point facing west at the Katzir exit. On clear days, hikers can see the sea, Netanya, and Caesaria from this spot. Diabseh supplied the hikers with bicycles and the group rode along the last section of the course to the village of Meisar and Kibbutz Metzer, filled with hope that the seeds of the idea they planted yesterday would take hold and flourish.

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