The Haifa Economic Company is embarking on a broad work plan for 2026, which includes an investment budget of approximately NIS 115 million, an increase of approximately 18% compared to 2025. The company's total budget, including subsidiaries, stands at approximately NIS 163 million, and is aimed at accelerating the city's economic development, creating quality jobs, and leading a national move to position Haifa as the defense-tech center (a security technological field that concerns the development and implementation of advanced technologies for security, offensive, and defensive needs) of Israel.
Four strategic growth arms
The work plan is based on four main growth areas: real estate, energy, tourism infrastructure, and business development. Alongside these, the Defense Tech Directorate operates, a cross-sectoral initiative aimed at:
- Establishing a security-technological ecosystem in Haifa
- Attracting mature companies
- Startups
- Investments and quality personnel
- Positioning the city as a national asset.
Real Estate – an Urban Growth Engine
After the company achieved significant achievements in 2025, most notably a deal worth approximately NIS 45 million with Rafael in the Science and High-Tech Park, in 2026 the company will focus on expanding and promoting core urban projects. Among others: Matam Park, the Science and High-Tech Park, a new project on Sapir Street, Kiryat Iriye, and additional employment complexes, covering tens of thousands of square meters.
Defense Tech – A National Initiative Led by Haifa
Within a few months, the economic company managed to outline a clear vision and lay the foundation for a growing defense-tech ecosystem. For the first time, Israel Aerospace Industries and Rafael entered Haifa, with expectations of a significant increase in quality employment and connections with Haifa startups and venture capital funds. In 2026, the presence of defense companies will be expanded, municipal real estate assets will be realized, and a defense-tech track will be established at the Hi-Center subsidiary. In addition, a human capital development program will be launched in cooperation with the Haifa Municipality, which includes specialized majors in high schools, training of engineers, and placement programs based on government systems.
Energy – Smart Urban Energy Authority
The energy arm will promote the establishment of an entrepreneurial-municipal energy authority, the “Haifa Electric Company.” The authority will engage in the production and installation of solar energy, storage and charging, will enable smart and remote management of the municipal energy sector, and will assist in the establishment of resilience and emergency preparedness centers.
Tourism infrastructure – profitable economic development
In cooperation with the Haifa Tourism Development Association (HTA), the company will complete the work plan for implementation during the year and will begin implementing profitable projects: hotels, markets, entertainment complexes and urban attractions. The activity will be carried out in conjunction with government ministries, private investors and capital investments.
Urban and national vision
Mayor of Haifa, Yona Yahav, said that “the 2026 work plan expresses strategic thinking, a transition from planning to execution and strengthening the urban growth engines. Leading the defense-tech sector is a revolutionary move of strategic-national importance, positioning Haifa as an anchor of innovation, quality employment and advanced economic development.”
Chairman of the Economic Society, Rani Bender, noted that “the plan will advance significant steps in Haifa's economic growth, in raising capital, in creating quality employment and in developing leading Haifa companies.”
CEO of the Economic Society, Hanan MarkowitzHe added: “The 2026 plan is based on an in-depth process to position Haifa as a national asset. We are focusing the company on entrepreneurial-strategic action with measurable goals and a combined economic return, per resident. In the coming year, we will turn planning into action, and action into results, for a growing and prosperous future for Haifa and its residents.”
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The defense-tech issue: With all due respect, Haifa is not there. Even if a few hundred jobs are added, Haifa always thinks it has some hot new buzzword. That's how we heard about "biotech" being a huge engine combined with the hospitals. In fact, a life sciences park with a construction company as a partner was supposed to be a huge biotech engine. That didn't happen. After biotech, we heard about Intel establishing a huge new campus that will employ thousands of workers, but that didn't materialize either. And then the robotics revolution! Haifa will be a national center for robotics! Wait, why robotics, a national center for environmental-tech! No no, environmental is already outdated. Now it's a national center for cyber-tech. No, cyber-tech didn't settle here. Well, here it is – defense-tech. Oh, that's the new hot sauce.
Dear friends. Haifa needs to be attractive to all types of industries, to be attractive to small employers, freelancers, engineering companies and technicians, to store owners who employ 2 employees up to managements with 2000 employees. Haifa needs an efficient municipality, one that invests development budgets in quality of life, education, computer literacy, culture, creativity, innovation development, design. And not students who study and leave, but students who receive incentives to establish businesses in Haifa and stay and develop real, deep-rooted businesses here for decades without any tech whims.
A tiny industry that has almost disappeared in Haifa. Local production, not just overflowing import warehouses. Development of urban agriculture, renewable energy and recycling projects, and without shame – construction of alternative national infrastructure for the Dan bloc. Large marina. International airport. Continued development of a sports complex. Railway tunneling and development of the coastal strip for hotels and leisure.
These are growth engines for the U.S., with all due respect to a few hundred jobs from Rafael or IAI.
As long as the Harasaniyu government continues to fund and distribute Torah education, without core studies, there will be no illiteracy, backwardness, retardation, parasitism, and degeneration, and there will be no possibility of recruiting educated people for work, so all plans for the development of advanced industrial centers are a pipe dream.