Founded a settlement in honor of his murdered colleague and was a critical voice: Head of Sdot Negev Regional Council announced his resignation
Tamir Idan was considered a sharp voice who often criticized the security conduct in the Gaza envelope. "The residents of the envelope do not need more promises - they need certainty," he said in response to a kite that crossed into Israel. Additionally, he established a settlement in the name of the murdered head of the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, "in order to honor his memory."
The head of the Sdot Negev Regional Council, Tamir Idan, announced today, Monday, to the Ministry of Interior his resignation from his position. In a letter sent to the ministry, he declared his departure.
Idan, who has been serving in his position for two and a half terms, was considered a clear and sharp voice who often criticized the state's security conduct in the Gaza envelope. In the shadow of the phenomenon of explosive kites infiltrating from the strip towards the envelope area, which has been on the rise in recent weeks, Idan stated:
"We will not agree to any reality in which the security of the residents of Sdot Negev and the residents of the envelope is tested again. We will not accept a trickle of incidents, nor a gradual return to the security reality we knew in the past."
According to him, there must be a firm and clear response to such incidents. For every attempt to harm the security of the residents of the envelope, a price must be exacted that will make it clear to the other side that the State of Israel will not allow a return to a reality of threats from the Gaza Strip. "A policy of containment can no longer be on the agenda," he added.
"The residents of the envelope do not need more promises. They need security certainty. This is the duty of the State of Israel, and we will insist on it without compromise," he emphasized.
Before the October 7 massacre, Idan began establishing a new settlement in the Gaza envelope. After the murder of the head of the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, Ofir Libstein, Idan decided to name the settlement after him. "We will name the settlement after him, in order to honor the memory of our friend - whom we still cannot understand is not at this table," Idan said about a month after the massacre events.
Last June, the Southern District Planning and Building Committee decided to deposit the plan for the establishment of the "Ofir" settlement, which will be built east of Kibbutz Sa'ad and north of Highway 25, under the authority of the Sdot Negev Regional Council.
The plan proposes a model of a rural-community settlement, while integrating a variety of housing types: from single-family and two-family plots, to concentrated and semi-dense construction. In addition, the plan also includes small housing units with an average area of up to 80 square meters, with the aim of encouraging the absorption of young families and creating a diverse and vibrant community.
