Yaron Weiss standing next to an Artsakh flag which he plans to carry with him throughout his five-day journey

Israeli activist and author Yaron Weiss, who has traveled extensively in the Caucasus, is starting a five-day journey across the Galilee dedicated to the people of Artsakh.

“The landscape of the Galilee, the region where I live always reminds me the landscape of Artsakh. The size of the area is also the same,” Weiss said in a Facebook post as he announced the journey.

“I remember those days when I crossed Artsakh by hiking on the ‘Janapar Trail’ – The first national trails network in the Caucasus. Unfortunately these days most of the ‘Janapar Trail’ is under hostile occupation,” he said.

“In recent months, the people of Artsakh are in difficult situation under siege. In addition tens of thousands of refugees cannot return to their homes. One of the main reasons of the worst situation is also due to the use of Israeli-made weapons that changed the balance of forces in the conflict,” Weiss added.

“To sympathize with the people of Artsakh and to raise awareness in Israel and the entire world about their difficult situation, I decided to go on a journey of crossing the Galilee from the western side in the Mediterranean Sea to the eastern side in the Jordan Valley on shores of the Sea of Galilee,” he said.

Weiss plans to hike for several days, holding the Artsakh flag in order to remind the many people that he’s going to meet along the way that “this journey is dedicated to those heroes who live in their ancient homeland despite all the difficulties. The homeland that is very similar to the Galilee.”

“I would greatly appreciate if you follow the journey on social media and share. You are more than welcome to join me on the Trail,” Weiss concluded.