Israel Plans to Brand Highway 60 as the “Bible Route”

The government is expected to approve today the promotion of a new initiative called “The Bible Route,” which would rename Highway 60 and turn it into Israel’s main heritage, history and tourism corridor. The move was first reported by ynet.

Highway 60 runs from Beersheba in the south to Nof HaGalil in the north, passing dozens of sites closely linked to biblical stories, Jewish history and modern Zionism, including Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem, Shiloh, Gush Etzion, Mount Gilboa and the Jezreel Valley. Under the plan, the route would become a new tourism and educational brand connecting heritage, archaeology, nature, innovation and culture along the historic road.

The proposal also calls for visitor centers, observation points, multilingual signage and content programs designed to help visitors from Israel and abroad understand the historical story of the Land of Israel. In Jerusalem, the brand is meant to connect major heritage sites such as Bible Hill, the City of David, the Old City and biblical Givat Shaul, alongside centers of innovation, academia and business, as part of what officials describe as the Israeli link between past and future.

Yisrael Fleischer, a member of the Efrat city council and an international spokesman for the Jewish community in Hebron, said the cabinet decision was of “national and strategic” importance. He argued that Highway 60 is “much more than a road,” adding that turning it into the Bible Route would connect the ancient history of the land with modern Israel. The next stage will be an interministerial staff process to map sites, set budgets, develop infrastructure and launch an international campaign to brand the route as a global heritage destination.