Amir Kochavi
{{Short description|Mayor of Hod HaSharon, Israel}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Amir Kochavi.JPG
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|05|10}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| suboffice1 =
| office1 = Mayor of Hod HaSharon, Israel
| subterm1 = 2018–
| caption = Amir Kochavi
| native_name = אמיר כוכבי
| native_name_lang = he
}}
Amir Kochavi ({{langx|he|אמיר כוכבי}}; born May 10, 1980) is the mayor of Hod HaSharon, Israel.
Biography
Kochavi is the son of Naphtali and Yona Kochavi, and a descendant of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk. His grandfather, Shlomo Kochavi, served as a member of the city council of Rishon LeZion.[https://www.spreaker.com/user/pimedia/mstcohavi אמיר כוכבי – ראש עיריית הוד השרון] (Podcast episode). By Alon Potterman. In his youth, he studied at the "Hadarim" high school in Hod HaSharon. Kochavi is an Israel Defense Forces reserve officer.{{Cite web|url=https://ijcml.org/board-members/amir-kochavi/|title=Amir Kochavi – Board Member|publisher=International Congress of Municipality Leaders|access-date=}}
Kochavi holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and Government and Middle East Studies from Ben-Gurion University and a Master's degree in Government and Public Administration with a specialization in local government from the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya. Before entering municipal politics, Kochavi worked in the Knesset alongside Roni Bar-On.{{Cite news|author=Shani Ashkenazi|title="In this crisis, it turned out that when the state does not function, local authorities do"|url=https://www.globes.co.il/news/sparticle.aspx?did=1001354830|work=Globes|access-date=|language=Hebrew}}
In 2008 Kochavi founded the Ketzev – Social Urban Movement party, through which he was elected to the city council in two election cycles. Between 2008 and 2018, he served as the party chairman, deputy mayor, and city council member.{{Cite web|url=https://hodhasharon.mynet.co.il/elections_2018/article/m_290952|title=The eighth candidate: Amir Kochavi announced his candidacy for the Hod HaSharon mayoralty|access-date=}} In the 2013 elections, he joined forces with the Meretz party in the city, and the parties ran together under the "Ketzev-Meretz" list. In the 2018 elections, the joint party united with the local Yesh Atid branch and ran together under the "Ketzev-Meretz-Yesh Atid" list.
In the October 2018 local elections he received 29.5% of the votes in the first round and advanced to the second round against former Knesset member Yifat Kariv, who received 18.9% support. Prior to the second round, the Israeli Labor Party withdrew its support for Kariv.{{Cite news|author=Tal Schneider|title=Why is the Israeli Labor Party shaking off its candidate for the Hod HaSharon mayoralty?|url=https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001259900|work=Globes|access-date=|language=Hebrew|date=November 9, 2018}} In the second round, Kochavi was elected mayor with 69.7% support, compared to 30.3% for Kariv.{{Cite news|author=Ariel Yemini|title=69 Kochavi, 31 Kariv: Amir Kochavi elected as mayor of Hod HaSharon "The time has come, we begin"|url=https://hodhasharon.mynet.co.il/elections_2018/article/m_326176|work=mynet|access-date=|language=Hebrew|date=November 13, 2018}}{{Cite news|author=TOI Staff|title=New mayors, more women: 2018 local elections summed up|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/new-mayors-more-women-2018-local-elections-summed-up/|work=The Times of Israel|date=November 14, 2018|access-date=}}
In 2023 Kochavi announced that he intends to lead protests against Israeli judicial reform and in support of women's rights, urging residents to participate in a women's march. He wrote, "Where there is no equality and rights, there is racism, intimidation, and violence."{{Cite news|author=Asher Atadgi|title=ראש העיר אמיר כוכבי מוביל את ההפגנות בהוד השרון: "בשביל זכויות הנשים"|url=https://hodhasharon.mynet.co.il/local_news/article/sjqragkz3|work=mynet|date=April 23, 2023|access-date=|language=Hebrew}} However, not everyone in the city appreciated his stance, with some questioning why he was taking a side, arguing that he should be the mayor for everyone.