The Israel government and Ramat Gan Municipality have reached an agreement in which the Ramat Gan Safari Park will move to nearby Ariel Sharon Park (Hiriya) with a state grant of NIS 500 million. The Safari Park will thus remain in Ramat Gan and under the management of the Ramat Gan Municipality, which a residential neighborhood will be built on the vacated land.
The move was formulated after protracted talks between Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama-Hacohen, and the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Israel Land Authority.
As part of the agreement, an additional interchange will be built on Road 4, which will reduce traffic congestion at the Aluf Sade Interchange and in the southeast of the city.
In addition, a new residential neighborhood with thousands of housing units is planned. Shama-Hacohen insists the neighborhood will be designed for the city's young people, and according to him, the neighborhood will be planned and promoted using AI. The agreement also includes a major expansion of the national park by several hundred dunams (50 acres), opening green areas that were closed to the public and adding thousands of new trees.
Shama Hacohen says, "Relocating the Safari Park will provide a better quality of life for Ramat Gan residents and greater welfare for the animals. Ramat Gan will be bigger, more innovative, greener, more flowing and younger. This is not just a geographical transfer and the expansion of the city and the national park, but a strategic move that promises a new and innovative Safari Park funded by the state and without a shekel in municipal taxes, increasing the city's jurisdiction, creating the largest green strip in Gush Dan, a genuine solution for traffic jams on the Aluf Sade highway, developing new sources of employment and income, establishing public, cultural and sports buildings that had nowhere until now, and a one-time opportunity to plan a smart neighborhood based on AI with affordable homes for young people."
The agreement will be officially signed on Thursday at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on January 27, 2026.
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