Degania Beach finally reopens to public after years-long closure

FEBRUARY 3, 2023 04:44

Updated: FEBRUARY 3, 2023 08:38

A VIEW of the Kinneret with the Hermon in the background. The view that inspired Rachel the Poetess, among others. (photo credit: LIAT COLLINS) — A VIEW of the Kinneret with the Hermon in the background. The view that inspired Rachel the Poetess, among others.

(photo credit: LIAT COLLINS)

The beach was originally closed to the public due to extensive works carried out by Israel’s national water company.

Degania Beach on Israel’s Sea of Galilee reopened to the public Tuesday after being closed for years amid construction and restoration works. The beach opened in a public ceremony hosted by Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman.

The beach was originally closed to the public due to extensive works carried out by Israel’s national water company “Mekorot,” which constructed underground water pipeline transmission infrastructure for Jordan as part of an agreement signed in the 1990s between the two Middle Eastern neighbors.

"The Environmental Protection Ministry will continue to work to protect the public's right to free passage on the banks of the Sea of Galilee that are accessible and free of debris,” Silman announced at the ceremony. “The ministry works with a variety of tools at its disposal to protect and preserve the country's streams.”

Much-anticipated reopening of Degania Beach

The beach is at the heart of Israel’s Sea of Galilee – a prime destination for domestic Israeli tourism. MK Silman further expressed optimism that the long-shuttered beach could become a popular tourist spot, saying that the reopening of Degania Beach symbolizes a very important step in a broad process to regulate underdeveloped beaches in the Sea of Galilee.

Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman is seen at the handover ceremony replacing outgoing minister Tamar Zandberg, in Jerusalem, on January 2, 2023. (credit: YONATAN SINDEL/FLASH90)

"We thank the Environmental Protection Ministry, Mekorot and the Water Authority for their cooperation in restoring Degania beach after years of neglect and a long period in which the beach was closed,” Idan Greenbaum, chairman of the Association of Kinneret Cities, said.

Yitzhak Ahronovich, chairman of the national water company Mekorot, also welcomed the move – declaring that the public will finally be able to enjoy the new complex for leisure and recreation.