After almost 14 years: Tamir Idan resigns as head of Sdot Negev

After almost 14 years at the head of the Sdot Negev Regional Council, Tamir Idan officially announced today (Monday) the end of his tenure. Idan, who has served in the position since 2012, is expected to end his path in local government ahead of his entry into the position of Chairman of the Board of the new Amidar company.

In a letter he sent to the Director General of the Ministry of Interior, Israel Ozan, Idan wrote: "During my years of tenure, I had the privilege of leading the council on a path of comprehensive development, demographic growth, infrastructure construction, and strengthening community and economic resilience." Idan also referred to the war years and added that the council "dealt in recent years with managing complex emergency systems and managing the council during a stormy and challenging war, which tested our resilience and the authority's ability to recover and function in the Gaza Envelope."

He further wrote that "all these I could not have done alone," and thanked the council employees, whom he described as those who act "day by day and especially in days of emergency and war out of a deep sense of mission, self-sacrifice, professionalism, and love for the land and the person." At the end of the letter, he announced that he is ending his service in the local authority "ahead of my entry into the position of Chairman of the Board of the 'New Amidar' company," and expressed confidence that the council's employees and its leadership will continue to lead Sdot Negev "to growth and serve as a model of resilience and excellence in settlement."

Idan was first elected to head Sdot Negev in 2012, when he defeated the incumbent council head Meir Yifrach, who had served three terms, by a dramatic margin of only three votes. In 2018, he was elected for another term as a sole candidate. Following the Iron Swords War, the local authority elections were not held in the council in February 2024, and Idan continued in his position. In the elections that were finally held in November 2024, he was elected for another term with a majority of about 77% of the votes.

Last July, Idan was elected Chairman of the Board of Amidar, an appointment that requires the completion of the necessary approvals. Upon completion of the move, Idan is expected to leave the head of the council and enter his new position in the government company.

During his years of tenure, Idan also promoted moves to expand settlement in Sdot Negev. After Operation Protective Edge in 2014, in a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he raised the idea of establishing a new settlement in the council's territory, alongside a plan to expand existing settlements. The new settlement, which is expected to absorb hundreds of families, is set to be called "Ofir," after the former head of the Sha'ar HaNegev Council, the late Ofir Libstein, who fell in the battle for Kfar Aza on October 7.

Since the October 7 massacre, Idan has become one of the most prominent voices among the heads of authorities in the Gaza Envelope demanding a change in the security concept. At the beginning of 2024, when the possibility arose to encourage residents to return to their homes through grants, he attacked the move and argued that residents should not be returned before they are guaranteed a real security response. "Our values and the security of our children are not bought with money," he said then, and called on residents not to rush to return as long as the threat has not been removed.

Idan also criticized the reduction of forces and the preparation for the defense of the settlements, and warned that strengthening the standby squads, policing and security systems must be a condition for the return of the residents. From his perspective, the events of October 7 completely changed the relationship between the authorities in the Gaza Envelope and the security establishment, and the ability to take security promises for granted.

Even in recent weeks, following the return of the phenomenon of kites arriving from the Gaza Strip towards the Gaza Envelope settlements, Idan warned against returning to the policy of containment. After a kite was located in the Sdot Negev area, he said: "One must not get used to it, one must not contain it, and one must not wait for the next event. Today it is a kite without a payload, tomorrow the same means could carry explosives," and added that "we have already learned this lesson at too high a price."

With the announcement of the resignation, the race for the head of Sdot Negev is expected to open now. The two prominent names emerging at this stage are Asi Almagzi, the deputy head of the council and holder of the security portfolio, and Yoni Mamo, who currently manages the community center in the council. The two are expected, according to sources in the council, to announce their candidacy for the position that Idan will leave behind, after almost 14 years in which he led the council through rounds of fighting, years of development, October 7, and the Iron Swords War.