It's time for a change in Israel's opportunity map
An opinion piece by Roni Palmer and Idan Tendler calls on political parties to prioritize the development of the Negev and Galilee as economic growth centers. The authors highlight the vast gap between Tel Aviv and Be'er Sheva in the number of high-tech companies and present projects like the 'Kibbutz Hi-Tech' in Sderot as a model for success. They demand tax incentives and housing for high-tech families and a multi-year budget.
An opinion piece by Roni Palmer (CEO of the Or Movement) and Idan Tendler (high-tech entrepreneur and partner at Vine Ventures) calls on parties running in the 2026 elections to declare a national plan to turn the Negev and Galilee into economic growth centers. The authors point to a huge gap: about 100 high-tech companies operate in Be'er Sheva compared to more than 2,600 in Tel Aviv. They argue that the concentration of life in the center harms the economy and national resilience. As an example of success, they present the 'Kibbutz Hi-Tech' project in Sderot, where 24 families have already moved in and about 50 more are in the process of moving, and about 1,000 couples and families are considering a move. They call for the development of an 'economic cluster' in the fields of cyber, AI, agrotech, and energy, through cooperation between the government, local authorities, academia, and the business sector. The article demands tax incentives and housing for high-tech families and a multi-year budget.