Ben-Gurion’s vision comes true in Ber-Sheba

Ministry.David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister, believed in the Negev’s untapped potential for agricultural, scientific, and technological research. He saw settlement in the Negev as a tool for sustainable population distribution in Israel, viewed it as critical to national security, and viewed it as an integral part of the historic Jewish homeland and a key element of the Zionist mission.

Agreements signed over the past decade between the Israeli government and the Ber-Sheba authorities have enabled the accelerated development of the capital of the Negev, heralding the realization of Ben-Gurion’s vision and transforming Ber-Sheba into a leading metropolis attracting investment from Israel and around the world.

Adding tens of thousands of apartments in new and old districts

Agreements between the Beer Sheva Municipality and the Israeli government have provided the municipality with the tools and budgetary resources to plan and build tens of thousands of apartments in new neighborhoods and to renew the city by adding residential, employment and commercial areas to older neighborhoods. The combination of developing new neighborhoods and renewing and strengthening older neighborhoods is in line with the city’s strategic vision, ensuring optimal development and creating a variety of housing solutions for students, new immigrants, young couples, families and seniors.

Two new housing developments are currently under construction in the city: Pisgat Ramot, located in the innovation district near a high-tech park and Ben-Gurion University, will include 3,700 housing units, including nursing homes and long-term rentals. Rakafot, a rural villa development in the north of the city, will once completed include 4,000 housing units, including 2,600 single-story units, 750 terraced houses and 800 high-rise buildings along Rager Boulevard, the city’s main thoroughfare.

In addition to establishing new districts, city authorities are promoting dozens of intensive mixed-use urban renewal projects in older districts in the city center, industrial areas and the Old Town. Their goal is to create a vibrant and active urban center with high-quality public spaces that will attract a young population to the center.

High-tech park in the heart of the innovation district in Beer Sheva. (source: Beer Sheva Municipality Office)

Israel’s First Innovation District

Israel’s first innovation district was created in Beersheba, an urban model where institutions, technology companies and startups are closely aligned, fostering original and groundbreaking innovation. The district covers 2,700 dunams and includes three major centers of knowledge, technology and innovation: Soroka Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University and the Negev High-Tech Park.

Gav Yam Negev High-Tech Park, opened a decade ago, houses more than 80 high-tech and cybersecurity companies, incubators and leading startups, alongside the IDF School for Computer and Cybersecurity Professions, which opened two years ago. Companies such as Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, Intel, Dell, Taboola and others operate in the park, employing 3,000 people, 82% of whom are Negev residents. When fully completed, the park is expected to cover 200,000 square meters and employ 10,000 people from leading high-tech companies in Israel and abroad.

The world is seeing the potential of the innovation district. In an article published in the Financial Times, Beersheba was declared the cyber capital of Israel, noting that “by placing talented cyber personnel from the military close to business firms and researchers at Ben-Gurion University, the government hopes to foster interaction among some of the country’s best minds.”

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IDF moves to Negev

The IDF’s move to the Negev is becoming a reality. A new technology center for the IDF’s C4I Corps has been established in a high-tech park, serving thousands of soldiers, NCOs, and officers. At the same time, construction is progressing rapidly on the intelligence campus near Shoket Junction. The new campus will be built as a smart campus with advanced technological infrastructure and will cover over 2,500 dunams with over 400,000 square meters of built-up area. The C4I campus will house all of the IDF’s elite technology units, with tens of thousands of soldiers, NCOs, and officers, serving as a basis for better population distribution and transforming the Negev and Beersheba into a new area of demand.

Regional Center for Leading Defense Industries

In addition to establishing Ber-Sheba as the cyber capital of Israel and the region, it is also becoming the center of Israel’s leading defense industries. These industries, which are a global economic and technological pillar, have realized the importance of their presence in Ber-Sheba, near the C4I base and intelligence campus. Rafael established an R&D facility in Ber-Sheba five years ago and plans to expand it. Israel Aerospace Industries will establish a new plant in Ber-Sheba with an investment exceeding NIS 100 million and is expected to employ 500 workers. The plant will be part of IAI’s Elta division, which develops airborne radar systems, intelligence systems on mission aircraft, electronic warfare systems, communication systems and more. In addition, Elbit Systems is in advanced stages of work on the future occupation of an advanced plant in Ramat Beka, which will replace the existing plant in Ramat HaSharon and is expected to employ hundreds more workers.

New hospital

In keeping with the metropolis of the southern region, the Israeli government recently approved the establishment of the Peres Medical Center, a new public hospital in the city. The new hospital, scheduled to open in 2028, will have 600 beds. This significant step for the Negev will strengthen the medical response in all areas, improve the lives and health of its residents, and be a significant source of employment and research.

Investors from all over the world

The municipality’s foreign relations department has become a point of contact for investors from around the world, coordinating visits to the city and exploring investments in real estate, high-tech, and academia. Dozens of delegations from around the world have visited the high-tech park to learn more about the unique ecosystem that has emerged in the innovation district, while real estate professionals participate in Israel Land Authority tenders and consider investing in income-generating real estate, trade, and tourism.

In summary, Beer Sheva is experiencing a period of dynamic growth, creating opportunities for housing, investment, employment and a high quality of life in a leading and developing metropolis.

More information: Beer Sheva Municipality

The article was created in cooperation with the authorities of Beer Sheva and the Ministry of Construction and Housing.