Israel’s Defense Ministry and Israeli construction company Shikun & Binui have broken ground on the construction of a military base in southern Israel’s Negev desert, Israel’s Defense Ministry Spokesperson announced Tuesday.
Announced in 2018 by then-defense minister Avigdor Liberman, the Kiryat Hamodi'in military base is the largest and most significant project in the IDF's long-deliberated transition to the Negev.
The base will span over 450,000 square meters and 12,000 regular soldiers and permanent personnel from the strategic units of the Intelligence Division will base themselves out of Kiryat Hamodi'in.
What is Israel's biggest infrastructure company?
Known as Israel’s biggest infrastructure company, Shikun & Binui agreed to construct the base for NIS 4 billion. Shikun & Binui is known for its complex infrastructure projects in Israel and around the world – such as in West Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe. Since its establishment in 1924, it has been at the forefront of the construction industry and has been at the forefront of providing housing for the country’s growing population.
"Completing the financial closure by housing and construction is another significant step in promoting the establishment of Kiryat Hamodi'in."
Orli Korem
"In recent years, the Director of Transition to the South has led five huge tenders using the PFI (tender) method… The Kiryat Hamodi'in tender is the most complex and challenging among them,” explained Orli Korem, head of the communications unit at the Defense Ministry.
“Completing the financial closure by housing and construction is another significant step in promoting the establishment of Kiryat Hamodi'in," Korem concluded.