Tourism Ministry reopens access to Saint George Monastery lookout following 'Post' investigation

The Tourism Ministry reopened access to the Saint George Monastery lookout in the Judean Desert after a Jerusalem Post investigation. The road had been blocked for three years since the October 7 massacre. Visitors must now pass through three electronic gates, present ID, and obtain codes to reach the lookout.

Following a Jerusalem Post Magazine investigation, the Tourism Ministry has reopened access to the Saint George Monastery lookout in the Judean Desert. For three years since the October 7 massacre, the road was blocked by electronic barriers erected by the Mitzpe Yeriho settlement and the IDF. The new procedure requires visitors to stop at the settlement's guard post, present identification, and receive codes for two electronic gates. A third gate, managed by the IDF and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, is opened via intercom. From there, a four-kilometer drive leads to the lookout, with a steep path down to the monastery, open daily from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The article notes the bureaucracy is worthwhile for the view of the fifth-century complex where a handful of Greek Orthodox monks reside.