A mega-military Intelligence Campus that will host Israel’s military intelligence operations and house 12,000 permanent soldiers.

The project stretches over 2,500 dunams and is set to be completed in 2026. Once finalized, the campus will be connected to Israel’s national railway network via light rail from the city of Beer Sheva, and by railway from the Lehavim train station.

In addition to land expropriation, the Intelligence Campus and accompanying infrastructure will limit the urban and economic development of Lakiya village. Lakiya is one of seven townships established in the Naqab by Israel from the 1970s until the 1990s. Despite promises of prosperity, it is effectively an overcrowded and impoverished shantytown. In 2019, the village was home to some 15,400 people, 11.36% of whom were unemployed.

The Military Intelligence Campus is part of the Israeli government’s plan to relocate and expand military facilities in the Naqab, the military’s Southern Relocation Project. The Project is led by the Southern Relocation Department of Israel’s Ministry of Defense and forms a cornerstone in Israel’s plan to Judaize and industrialize the region.

Corporate involvement:  In 2020, the publicly traded Israeli conglomerate Housing and Construction Holding Co. (Shikun & Binui Group) won a Ministry of Defense contract worth NIS 11 billion to finance, plan, develop, operate and maintain the campus, with the prospect of expansion.