All parties promise a revolution in the North and South - but there is a catch

Six parties presented plans for developing the Negev and Galilee ahead of the elections, but only Yashar! committed to a defined budget of 15 billion shekels for the North over five years. The other parties presented multi-year budget frameworks without a binding amount.

Ahead of the 2026 elections, six lists and parties presented plans for developing the Negev and Galilee as part of the "New Centers of Israel" initiative led by the Or Movement. The parties that responded: Likud, "Together" headed by Naftali Bennett, the Democrats, Yashar! headed by Gadi Eisenkot, Otzma Yehudit, and the joint list of Religious Zionism-Identity. The vision formulated by local authority heads includes turning the Negev and Galilee into the home of eight million residents by the centennial year, one million housing units, and 1.5 million new jobs, with an investment volume of more than 200 billion shekels over a decade. However, only Yashar! presented a defined budget commitment of about 15 billion shekels for the North over five years; the other parties presented multi-year frameworks without a binding amount. The article highlights the gap between the broad promises and the scope of concrete funding.