Yoav Regional Council

Yoav Regional Council (Hebrew: מועצה אזורית יואב‎‎, Mo'atza Azorit Yoav) is a regional council in the Southern District of Israel. It is located near the cities of Kiryat Gat, Kiryat Malakhi and Ashkelon. It was founded in 1952, covering an area of 230,000 dunams (230 km²), with a population of about 5,300.

The council is named after Yitzhak Dubnov, who was nicknamed "Yoav", and who fell while defending Negba in the Israeli War of Independence. Operation Yoav and Metzudat Yoav, which is located in the council's area, are also named after him.

The council contains two parts which are not contiguous geographically. The main part is bordered on the north by Nahal Sorek Regional Council, on the west by Be'er Tuvia Regional Council and Shafir Regional Council, on the south by Lakhish Regional Council and Kiryat Gat, and on the east by Matte Yehuda Regional Council. The western portion of the council, which includes the kibbutzim Negba and Sde Yoav, is bordered on the north and east by Shafir Regional Council, on the west by Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, and on the west by Lakhish Regional Council.

Communities in the council

Today the council has 8 kibbutzim, 3 moshavim, a youth village, a communal settlement, and an Arab village.

The immediate past mayor of the Yoav Regional Council is Rani Traynin from Beit Nir. Mr. Traynin resigned his position as mayor to become the Vice Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel. He was succeeded by Matti Sarfatti Harcavi Ph.D., the first woman ever elected Mayor of the Yoav Regional Council. She is from moshav Sgula and is a noted plant geneticist. For several years she served as the Yoav Chairperson of the Partnership 2000 Committee, linking the Yoav Regional Council with the Jewish community of the Lehigh Valley based in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

The government offices are located at Re'em Junction.

Kibbutzim

• Beit Nir
• Beit Guvrin
• Gal On
• Gat
• Kfar Menachem
• Negba
• Revadim
• Sde Yoav

Moshavim

• Kfar HaRif
• Nahla
• Sgula

Youth village

• Kedma

Communal settlement

• Vardon

Arab village

• al-'Azi

External links

• Official website (English) (Hebrew)

Southern District of Israel
Cities	Arad Ashdod Ashkelon Beersheba Dimona Eilat Kiryat Gat Kiryat Malakhi Netivot Ofakim Rahat Sderot
Local councils	Ar'arat an-Naqab Hura Kuseife Lakiya Lehavim Meitar Mitzpe Ramon Omer Shaqib al-Salam Tel as-Sabi Yeruham
Regional councils	al-Kasom Be'er Tuvia Bnei Shimon Central Arava Eshkol Hevel Eilot Hof Ashkelon Lakhish Merhavim Neve Midbar Ramat HaNegev Sdot Negev (Azata) Sha'ar HaNegev Shafir Tamar Yoav
See also	Beersheba metropolitan area Negev Arabah
Other sub-divisions: Central District Haifa District Jerusalem District Judea and Samaria Area Northern District Tel Aviv District

Coordinates: 31°36′00″N 34°54′00″E / 31.600°N 34.900°E / 31.600; 34.900