Current sectionIsrael NewsTravel in IsraelThe reopening of a rare free public beach in Tiberias has divided the city, after ultra-Orthodox demands for modesty prompted the overnight installation of barriers and hedges. Secular residents call it religious coercion; both sides say they will not back downShare to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeEitan Leshem05:06 PM • July 26 2026 IDTResidents of Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel, waited a long time for Trapezoid Beach to reopen. But the festive opening of a beach that is free to enter – no small thing in Tiberias – quickly turned into a clash between religious and secular residents. Loading...Click the alert icon to follow topics:Sea of GalileeHaredim Israeli politicsWomen's rightsHuman rightsJudaismCommentsLoading...In the NewsIn the News: Live UpdatesTrumpEisenkotMamdani-NetanyahuPalestinian AuthorityLindsey GrahamIsrael ElectionsHaQuizHaaretz PodcastHow the Sea of Galilee's Trapezoid Beach Ignited a Battle Over ModestyFar-right Smotrich's Religious Zionism to Hold Primaries Amid Comeback in PollsKnesset Legal Adviser: Law Shielding Haredi Draft Dodgers Undermines IDF NeedsReport: Trump Delays Iran Escalation Over Air Defense Supply ConcernsCan Religious Zionists Save Netanyahu – or Sink Him?Remembering and rebuilding two years laterICYMIThe Original Ozempic Society of Ancient RomeBetween Messi and Milei: How Argentina Became Israel's Team at the World Cup'Choose Hope': Natalie Portman Backs Arab-Jewish Party Ahead of Israeli ElectionAn Israeli Election Surprise Called the DemocratsIsrael's Far Right Is Repeating the Sin That Brought Down the TempleEd Miliband, the U.K.'s New Foreign Secretary – and His History With Israel