An ambitious new plan from leaders in Judea and Samaria calls for the establishment of a new national park on nearly 1 million dunams (247,000 acres) of land between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, which would transform the area into a tourist attraction.
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The area in question begins in the west of Kochav Hashahar and extends to the Herodian site in eastern Gush Etzion. According to the plan, the park will include approximately half the land bordering the Dead Sea, from Qasr al-Yahud – the traditional site of Jesus' baptism – to the Darga and Hazazon ravines. The territory is considered the only open land separating Judea and Samaria, and the political ramifications of implementing the new plan are still unclear.
For decades, the Israeli Right has sought to build in the E1 area near Maaleh Adumim in an attempt to link the two regions, a step that thus far has yet to be taken.
The Palestinians claim that Israeli construction in E1 would be the nail in the coffin of the two-state solution and have been building illegally in the area to stop Israel from doing the same.
In Judea and Samaria, leaders are skipping over the political questions and focusing on the practical aspects of establishing the new park. They say that the land in question includes a number of tourist attractions and would primarily draw day trippers.
Local sites of interest to Jews, Christians, and Muslims include the Mar Saba monastery, Qasr al-Yahud, Nabi Musa Mosque, and the remains of the Hasmonean palaces.
"We want to set found a new national park, the like of which has never been seen in Judea and Samaria, and create a single network, one product," said Keren Geffen, director-general of the region.
A formal plan, compiled following consultation with tourism directors, cites plans such as mobile restaurants, the promotion of a hotel site at the northern end of the Dead Sea, a joint information and reservations center.
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