Flood and Fire
Controlling the Weather
All is Quiet on the Northern Front
In March, the government announced that all the evacuees from Galilee could return home. Compensation payments were halted, and funding was offered to restart life in Galilee. Following up on the article about the evacuation of Galilee that we published eight months ago, we decided to revisit the area along the Lebanese border.
Buried Barrier – The Hidden Fence in the Eilat Mountains
Israel’s border with Egypt takes an unusual twist in the Gishron Riverbed, where sheer canyon walls carve through the southern Eilat Mountains. Engineers were forced to sink the separation fence out of sight to protect the striking natural landscape, creating one of the most ambitious and costly segments of the entire barrier.
The Wolf Whisperer
In 1988, Reuven Heffner began surveying predators in the Arava Valley, focusing on the broad desert riverbeds of Zihor and Znifim. The findings were unexpected: dozens of Ruppell’s foxes, caracals, and wild cats were captured and fitted with acoustic transmitters, allowing researchers to monitor their movements and behavior for the first time. Over the following three decades, Heffner developed unique telemetry and predator ecology expertise, significantly advancing our understanding of desert carnivores.
Back to the Beginning – Restoring Lake Hula
The draining the Hula Lake and swamp in the 1950s was hailed as a landmark land development and reclamation achievement. However, it soon became evident that the ambitious goals — expanding agricultural land by thousands of dunams and regulating the flow of the Jordan River — would not be realized. Today, seventy years later, a new initiative aims to restore parts of the lake bringing back some of its natural beauty.
Water Worries
“In my dream, said the Pharaoh, I was standing on the bank of the Nile, when out of the river came seven cows, fat and sleek, grazing among the reeds. After them, seven other cows came up — scrawny, ugly, and lean. The lean, ugly cows devoured the seven fat cows… God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do,” explained Joseph, who was called from his prison cell to interpret the dream, “Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance of Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land” (Genesis 41).
Israel National Trail
The Negev Region
