Jerusalem Gateway: The Merhav Tower District Explained

The Jerusalem Gateway, also called Merhav, is a 700-dunam business district under construction at Jerusalem's western entrance, with about 20 towers of 18 to 40 stories, 1.2 million sqm of mixed-use space, and a modeled 60,000 new jobs. Marom Tower, a 40-story office tower of about 60,000 sqm, is the first anchor to rise, according to World Israel News in February 2026.

What are the Jerusalem Gateway's key numbers?

The Jerusalem Gateway covers about 700 dunams (173 acres) and plans about 20 towers, with some plans referencing up to 24. The district's official designation is Rova Mevo HaIr, formally Kiryat Ariel Sharon.

Metric	Value
Tower count and height	About 20 towers, 18 to 40 stories
Total built area	1.2 to 1.25 million sqm, mixed-use
Residential and rental space	About 100,000 sqm of apartments and about 100,000 sqm of rental and sheltered housing
Modeled new jobs	About 60,000
Baseline investment	NIS 1.4 billion (about $364 million), with plot tenders layered on top
Underground public parking	1,300 spaces
New bicycle paths	2 km
Landscape architect	Topotek 1 of Berlin, winner of the international competition
Municipal project manager	Eden, the Jerusalem Economic Development Company
Implementation body	Moriah, the Jerusalem Development Company
Cornerstone	Late 2016, laid by then-Mayor Nir Barkat
Green standard	First Israeli district recognized under international green construction standards, per the Times of Israel

What is Marom Tower?

Marom Tower is a 40-story office tower of about 60,000 sqm and the first major tower in the Gateway to move from planning into construction, per World Israel News in February 2026. It has retail, dining, and public space at street level, a cultural component in the lower floors, and a direct connection to the Yitzhak Navon rail station.

Every later Merhav tower will be benchmarked against Marom on specification, tenant profile, and rent. The reporting does not link Marom's sponsor to the JTLV consortium.

Who won the November 2022 Israel Land Authority tender?

A consortium of JTLV Investments, BSR Engineering and Development, and Yehuda Rahamim Building Co won an Israel Land Authority tender of NIS 120 million (about $35 million) in November 2022, per the Times of Israel. The award covered three plots of about 219 dunams: two 40-story towers and one 8-story building.

JTLV leads on real estate, BSR (Nachshon Kivity's firm, which brands its Merhav work as Gate Jerusalem) is the engineering and development partner, and Yehuda Rahamim is the construction sponsor. The Times of Israel reported that building permits were expected within weeks of the award.

Which public institutions anchor the district?

Six public assets anchor the district: the consolidated Judicial Building, the Israel Broadcasting Authority studios, the Binyanei HaUma convention center, underground parking, Topotek 1's public spaces, and the Chords Bridge. They bring government, media, legal, and visitor demand to the surrounding towers.

Asset	What it is	Demand effect
Judicial Building	Single facility consolidating local and district courts and legal offices; cornerstone reported by Jewish Insider in September 2023	Legal-sector tenants cluster nearby
Israel Broadcasting Authority studios	New consolidated studio building on the former Shaare Zedek Hospital site, per Wikipedia	Media and production tenants
Binyanei HaUma	1950s convention center, once home of the Zionist Congress; the Israel Land Authority says the expansion aims at the largest conference center in the Middle East	Hotel, restaurant, and event demand
Underground parking	1,300 public spaces	Keeps car traffic off the pedestrian ground plane
Public spaces	Plazas, pedestrian corridors, and parks by Topotek 1	Ties tower bases to transit and retail
Chords Bridge	Santiago Calatrava bridge opened in 2008, carrying the light-rail Red Line	Visual marker of the western entrance

How is the Gateway connected by rail and bus?

The Gateway sits on three transport systems: the Yitzhak Navon high-speed rail station, the Central Bus Station, and the Jerusalem light rail. Together they put the district within about 30 minutes of Tel Aviv by rail.

The Yitzhak Navon terminal opened in 2018 and reaches Tel Aviv HaShalom in about 28 to 32 minutes, per Jewish Insider and the official project site. It is one of the deepest stations in the world, with tracks about 80 meters underground. This link turns Jerusalem into a workable address for employers headquartered in Tel Aviv.

The Central Bus Station handles 280 urban and intercity lines per hour, per jerusalemgw.co.il.

The light rail has three lines, and the HaTurim stop sits inside the district footprint:

The Red Line is operating and runs along Jaffa Road to Pisgat Ze'ev, Neve Yaakov, and Mount Herzl.
The Green Line connects Malha, Givat Ram, and the government quarter, and had not opened to the public as of February 2026, per World Israel News.
The Blue Line is in advanced planning and will serve Hebron Road and Arnona.

Moriah is building the Green Line, with Solel Boneh, a Shikun & Binui subsidiary, as contractor per Who Profits (2019). Check the Green Line's current opening status before relying on it.

Who runs and regulates the district?

Eden manages the project for the Jerusalem Municipality, Moriah handles physical implementation, and the Israel Land Authority runs the plot tenders. The Ministries of Transportation, Finance, and Jerusalem and Heritage coordinate transit, tax incentives, and national priorities.

Eden handles strategic planning, developer engagement, and tenant recruitment, and Moriah contracts the infrastructure work and coordinates between developers and transport authorities.

What is the Gateway's construction timeline?

Late 2016: Nir Barkat lays the cornerstone, per the Times of Israel (October 2016).
2016 to 2022: planning, tendering, and infrastructure coordination.
November 2022: the Israel Land Authority awards the NIS 120 million consortium package.
Early 2026: several towers are in excavation or foundation work, and Marom Tower is rising, per World Israel News.
2026 to 2030: delivery window for the first cohort of towers.
2030s: full 20-tower build-out, with permits and construction sequenced tower by tower.

Tenants and investors should track Moriah and Israel Land Authority tender announcements for each plot, since delivery will not arrive as a single coordinated event.