Israel's Neglect of North and South Threatens National Future

Israel is increasingly concentrating its population and economy in a narrow coastal strip, leaving the Negev and Galilee regions behind. This trend, contrary to the vision of Israel's founders like David Ben-Gurion, is seen as a strategic error weakening the entire nation. Ben-Gurion emphasized the importance of settling the Negev for national security and demographic balance, warning that Tel Aviv's survival depended on holding the desert.

Historically, the Israeli leadership actively promoted settlement in these peripheral areas. Initiatives like the establishment of 11 points in the Negev overnight in 1948 and the creation of lookouts in the Galilee in the late 1970s, along with dedicated legislation in the 1990s for the development of these regions, underscore a long-standing national policy of population dispersal. This policy was viewed not as a peripheral issue but as fundamental to nation-building.

Currently, however, national parties lack comprehensive plans to prioritize the Negev and Galilee. These regions, covering 70% of Israel's landmass, house only about a quarter of its population. The majority of growth engines, capital, quality jobs, and advanced services remain concentrated in central Israel, a situation exacerbated by decades of poor national management and a flawed strategy of becoming a "small, lean, and smart" nation. This neglect deepens disparities, centralizes risks, overburdens central infrastructure, and leaves vast areas underdeveloped.

The article argues that while Tel Aviv's success is an asset, Israel failed to create sufficiently strong power centers elsewhere. Cities like Beersheba should have become major national metropolises attracting talent and investment, and the Galilee should have fostered robust industry and agriculture. The lack of opportunities in these regions prevents population dispersal, creating a self-reinforcing cycle where young people move to the center for jobs and quality services, prompting more companies to relocate there.

This concentration poses a significant security risk, as recent conflicts have demonstrated that no "home front" is safe from modern threats. Israel's future security and prosperity depend on developing the Negev and Galilee to disperse the population, mitigate risks, and create multiple growth engines. The author calls for measurable goals and clear accountability from political leaders, urging them to prioritize national development across the country over superficial declarations and to invest in critical infrastructure like transportation and healthcare in these regions, regardless of short-term economic arguments.