Canada Park (Hebrew: פארק קנדה, Arabic: حديقة كندا, also Ayalon Park[1]) is a national park stretching over 7,000 dunams (7km2) in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.[2] The park is located north of Highway 1 (Tel Aviv-Jerusalem), and is situated near the Ayalon Valley, between the Latrun Interchange and Sha'ar HaGai. It was established following the ethnic cleansing of the ancient Palestinian villages of Yalu, Bayt Nuba and Imwas by Israeli troops during the Six Days War.[3][4][5][6]
Today, the park is full with natural attractions, including man-made forests, Mediterranean woodlands home to many local flowers, and the remains of ancient orchards. The park also has a number of historical interest, including a Hasmonean Jewish fort, burial caves and ritual baths of the Second Temple period and the Bar Kokhba revolt, a Crusader fort, a Roman bathhouse that was turned into a maqam, the remnants of the three depopulated Palestinian villages, and various military memorials. There are also recreation areas, springs, and panoramic several hilltop views.[7][8]
Canada Park is considered a popular tourist destination for Israelis,[9] drawing some 300,000 visitors annually.[10]
- ^ Thiede, Carsten Peter (2006-05-01). The Emmaus Mystery: Discovering Evidence for the Risen Christ. A&C Black. ISBN 978-0-8264-8067-5.
- ^ David Newman. Boundaries in Flux: The 'Green Line' Boundary Between Israel and the West Bank - Past, Present and Future, Boundary and territory briefing, Vol.1 no.7 1995 p.16.
- ^ Mundinger, Ulla. "Walking on Ruins: The Untold Story of Yalu." Jerusalem Quarterly 69 (2017): 22.
- ^ Davis, U. (2004). APARTHEID ISRAEL AND THE JEWISH NATIONAL FUND OF CANADA.
- ^ Petersen, Kim. "Canada: The Honest Broker?."
- ^ Kanj, Jamal Krayem. Children of catastrophe: Journey from a Palestinian refugee camp to America. Garnet Publishing Ltd, 2010.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
jpost1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "https://www.kkl-jnf.org%2ftourism-and-recreation%2fforests-and-parks%2fayalon-canada-park%2f". www.kkl-jnf.org. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
{{cite web}}: External link in|title= - ^ Tobias Kelly, Violence and Sovereignty Among West Bank Palestinians, Cambridge University Press, 2006 p.152.
- ^ Canada Park – an Israeli haven for picnickers, hikers, cyclists