A new pedestrian path is being planned around the Kinneret in response to efforts to reclaim the lake for public use.
By SHOSHANA MICHAEL-ZUCKERkineret 88.298(photo credit: )
The local.co.il news website reports that the National Planning and Construction Council has approved plans for a footpath hugging the shoreline approximately 60 km in length and open to pedestrians free of charge.
For the past three years, the SPNI has been waging a battle to make the Kinneret coast more accessible by dismantling the fences and barriers installed by a variety of localities and private businesses.
The SPNI has also organized groups of young volunteers to blaze a path around the lake. According to the SPNI's coordinator of coastline preservation Nir Papay, 35 km of unofficial path has been blazed until now, but there were no resources to continue development and maintenance.
Now the Interior Ministry's planning authority has decided to legitimate the path and complete construction. The planning council dictated that the path must do as little harm as possible to the coastline nature preserves on the northeastern side of the lake. In Tiberias, the path will be adapted to the urban environment.
According to Israel National News (israelnn.com), there remain a few obstacles before the plan is made official. It must be approved by several planning committees within the next 60 days. Once their approval is obtained, the national council must give its final approval and submit the plan to the cabinet for government approval.
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