Israel’s cabinet today approved a plan to simultaneously promote two alternative international airports to Ben Gurion Airport – one in the Negev at Ziklag, and one in the north at Ramat David. The decision was made despite the position of Minister of Transport Miri Regev and Negev-based deputy minister for AI Almog Cohen (Otzma Yehudit), who sought promoting Ziklag first. According to them, the planning progress of the airport in Ramat David could lead to the project in the north being built first, leaving the southern airport behind for many years.
The approval comes after a vote on the decision was postponed last week following a dispute between the Ministries of Finance and Transport over the wording of the proposal. The original wording did not explicitly state that the southern airport would be built in Ziklag. The proposal now passed by the cabinet includes explicit mention of Ziklag as the southern alternative, alongside continued planning promotion in Ramat David.
In a joint statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich, Regev and Cohen, announced that planning for the airport in the south would be accelerated until the status was equal to Ramat David, to promote the construction of the two alternative international airports.
Nevertheless, as soon as the decision was announced, opponents of the Ramat David airport began to react sharply, claiming that the more advanced planning of the Ramat David project could make construction of the airport there a mere formality.
Megiddo Regional Council head Gil Lin, said, “The real meaning, if it is not explicitly decided to start in the Negev, is to establish an airport in the Jezreel Valley and leave the Negev behind.” He also warned that the plans in the north are already mature, while in the south “They have not yet decided where to start building.”
Jezreel Valley Regional Council head Shlomit Shichor Reichman said, “The cabinet’s decision to promote an airport in the Negev and the Jezreel Valley simultaneously will do long-term damage. Two complementary airports to Ben Gurion Airport will not be built, and the cabinet is misleading the residents of the Negev and harming the residents of the valley. Although the planning of the airport in Ramat David is more advanced on paper, the planning and implementation of the airport in Ziklag can be promoted and completed faster – and therefore there is no justification for continuing to push a destructive alternative in the heart of the valley.
“Our struggle is not over today – it is just going up a level. We will not allow bulldozers to enter the valley land. We will use all the legal and public tools at our disposal to cancel the evil decree. The residents of the Negev and the valley demand: The first airport will be built in the Negev.”
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Three alternatives
Talk about building an airport in Ziklag refers to a general area where there are three main options: the first, the northern alternative, located east of Kiryat Gat has less opposition from the Ministry of Defense and would do less damage to valuable open areas. On the other hand, it is closer to populated areas and requires more complex transport planning. It also requires flight changes at the Hatzor and Tel Nof Air Force bases.
The second is the central alternative between Sderot and Road 40. This location is further away from population centers and is near open land. It has been met by significant environmental opposition due to landscape and environmental sensitivity, and also requires flight changes at the Hatzor and Tel Nof Air Force bases.
The third is the southern alternative, northwest of Beit Kama. It is the furthest from populated areas but has the greatest impact on military air activity due to its proximity to fields and buildings and affects air force training areas. It is also less convenient in terms of transport, as its distance from population centers creates transport challenges.
Proximity to Gaza
Over the years, many alternatives for new airports have been considered, but most of them were rejected due to aviation, security, environmental or planning problems. After extensive professional examination, two main alternatives remained: Ramat David in the north and Nevatim in the south.
Nevatim was seen for years as the preferred alternative for building a new international airport and received relatively broad political support from elements from all ends of the political system. In contrast to Nevatim, Ramat David encountered strong political and public opposition over the years, mainly from authorities and residents in the Jezreel Valley.
However, from the perspective of planning and professional considerations, Ramat David has been considered a preferable alternative, due to its suitability for airspace, the ability to integrate significant civilian activity there, and relatively high planning feasibility. The gap between professional support and political and public opposition is the reason why no final decision has been made.
Since Nevatim met with major opposition from the Ministry of Defense, a directive was given to find another alternative in the south. Thus sites that had been rejected in the past were re-examined, mainly due to their proximity to the Gaza Strip. After the war, the National Security Council clarified that the consideration of proximity to the Gaza border no longer constitutes a planning barrier, which made it possible to put back on the agenda alternatives that had been rejected in the past. Therefore, a new alternative was decided on in the Negev – Ziklag.
The possibility of building an alternative airport to Ben Gurion Airport in Ziklag was examined in the past and rejected, mainly due to its proximity to the Gaza border. Following a change in the perception of the security risk and the decision that proximity to the border was no longer a disqualifying factor Ziklag was reinstated as a viable option. It was decided to begin a renewed planning process in the area, with the understanding that there is currently no other southern alternative with higher feasibility.
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on February 15, 2026.
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