University of Kiryat Shmona approved as Israel moves to rebuild war-hit northern communities

Israel’s Council for Higher Education (CHE) on Tuesday officially approved the upgrade of Tel-Hai Academic College into the University of Kiryat Shmona, located in the northern Galilee region. The change is expected to take effect in the 2026–27 academic year. The decision is significant, marking the first time in two decades that an Israeli government has approved the establishment of a university in the Galilee.

Backed by a $180 million investment, the new university will offer Ph.D. programs and will include an engineering faculty and a veterinary school. It is part of the government’s broader plan to rebuild and strengthen northern Israeli communities following the long and difficult conflict with the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

The Tel-Hai college administration welcomed the government’s decision to formally transform the institution into a university. 

“The establishment of the university is a historic step of tremendous significance for the Galilee and the Golan," the administration stated. 

"The university will focus on applied research and serve as a bridge between top‑level academia and industry, community and environment. It will attract thousands of students from across the country to the Galilee and create new employment opportunities, allowing students to remain in the region and build their homes here. We are not just establishing a new university in Kiryat Shmona; we are building the future of the northern part of the country,” it added.

The Tel-Hai College was established in 1957 and has until now served as a smaller regional education institution. 

Israel’s Education Minister Yoav Kisch described the new university as "a major step in the rehabilitation and strengthening of Kiryat Shmona."

"From the start, I determined that the university would be an integral part of the city and serve as an anchor for growth, renewal and strengthening its social resilience," Kisch announced. "Accordingly, the transfer of Tel‑Hai’s Eastern Campus into the jurisdiction of Kiryat Shmona has been completed, and it has been determined that all future university buildings will be located within the city itself. The University of Kiryat Shmona will be a lever for regional development and create an academic and economic future for the youth of the North, while maintaining strict academic quality."

Professor Ami Moyal, chair of the Planning and Budgeting Committee, assessed that the new university would serve as a socio-economic growth engine in the country’s northern periphery. 

“The establishment of a strong university in Kiryat Shmona is a planning and budgeting initiative of national significance. A research academic institution in the north is expected to serve as an engine of socio‑economic growth, strengthen the region’s resilience through applied research connected to field needs, and expand opportunities for social mobility for the youth of the Galilee and the North," Moyal said. 

"This is a historic event born from close cooperation between the Council for Higher Education — led by Education Minister and CHE Chair Yoav Kisch – together with the Planning and Budgeting Committee, the Momentum Administration, and the Budget Division of the Ministry of Finance – a partnership enabling responsible planning, dedicated funding and phased development of a university that will have a long‑term impact on the region and the entire academic system,” the professor added. 

Located near the Lebanese border, Kiryat Shmona was heavily hit by Hezbollah rockets and drones during the war from 2023 to 2024. Thousands of residents were displaced from their homes. Although a formal ceasefire is currently in place, many still feel threatened by Hezbollah. About 30% of the local population has not yet returned home. Last month, residents protested what they described as the government’s “abandonment” of northern Israel.

“Kiryat Shmona looks like a ghost town,” the local resident and protest leader Shiran Ohayon told Channel 12 News last month. 

“We are here because they brought us back a year ago with all the promises. Today our motto is: 'Save this city, because there will be nothing left to save here.' There are 13,000 residents left here, 60% of the businesses have closed, and those that are open work until 4:00 p.m. because they can't even pay their electricity bills. We have no way to feed our children, this city is not dying – it is dead,” Ohayon argued.

Like many other northern towns, Kiryat Shmona has for years suffered from a lack of qualified job opportunities. Pundits hope that the new university will eventually generate local job opportunities, which will attract qualified young people to the region.