Results to Date:

• Our staff in Israel has identified a 60 km route from Be'er Sheva to Arad City. The route includes Abrahamanic sites such as Tel Sheva, Tel Arad, the Bedouin village of Rahat, the Falahin village of Drijat, and Abraham's Well in the city of Be'er Sheva. We are planning to open this section of the path by the close of 2009.
• Community outreach has begun in the villages and towns along the proposed route.
• Country director Avner Goren is teaching a course on the Abraham Path Initiative at the W.F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research.

Objectives for 2009

• Collaborate with the Municipality in Be'er Sheva on the renovation of Abraham's Well.
• Launch initial segment from Be'er Sheva to the city of Arad.
• Strengthen partnerships along the initial pilot segment through concrete projects, trail mapping and community outreach.
• Initiate a program that connects schoolchildren with specific historical sites along the path — in effect making them caretakers of these critical places.
• Facilitate an inaugural walk along the pilot segment.
• Engage in fundraising for the Path in Israel.
• Investigate academic and research partnerships including a collection of Abrahamic narratives.

Partners:

• Ben-Gurion University
• Israel National Parks
• Ministry of Tourism in Israel
• Municipality of Be'er Sheva
• Society for the Preservation of Nature