Urgent phone calls from the prime minister’s office late afternoon on Aug. 14 caught by surprise the heads of the regional councils that are in close proximity to the Gaza Strip, on their way to Tel Aviv.

It was just three hours before a mass demonstration at Rabin Square in support of those in the south was scheduled to take place, where these local leaders were scheduled to appear as keynote speakers. Yet, they were told that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was inviting them for a meeting at the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, right before the demonstration.

Among the leaders invited to the meeting were the head of the Eshkol Regional Council, Chaim Yellin; the head of the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council, Yair Farjun; the head of the Sha’ar HaNegev Regional Council, Alon Shuster; and the head of the Sdot Negev Regional Council, Tamir Idan. Together, they constituted the core of the local leadership in the localities that had been at the receiving end of Hamas rocket fire during Operation Protective Edge.

With the start of the operation, they emerged as the protagonists of a major media story, spearheading a firm and critical approach toward Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Moshe Ya'alon. They insisted that the state had abandoned securing their communities. They were also unanimous in their unequivocal demand to put a stop to Hamas rocket fire.